work
She goes to work every day.
She attends her job regularly.
activity involving mental or physical effort done to achieve a purpose or result
He finished his work before lunch.
He completed his tasks before lunch.
a job or employment
She found work as a teacher.
She secured a job as a teacher.
the place where one is employed
I left my phone at work.
I left my phone at my place of employment.
to perform labor or duties for wages or a salary
She works at a hospital.
She is employed at a hospital.
to function or operate properly
The machine works well.
The machine functions correctly.
Collocations
Synonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Distinguishing 'work' as noun vs. verb
As a noun, 'work' often refers to a job or effort ('She enjoys her work'). As a verb, it describes the act of performing labor ('He works at a factory').
Gold Rule
Uncountable noun usage
Use 'work' as an uncountable noun when referring to general effort or activity ('I have a lot of work to do'). Do not use 'a' before it in this sense.
Word Origin
From Middle English werk, from Old English weorc (noun), wyrcan (verb), both from Proto-Germanic *werką (noun) and *wurkijaną (verb), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *werǵ- ('to do, act'). Cognates include German Werk, Dutch werk, and Swedish verk.
Usage Notes
The noun 'work' is uncountable when referring to general effort or activity ('I have a lot of work to do'). It becomes countable when referring to a specific project or task ('I have three works to complete'). The verb 'work' can take various prepositions depending on context ('work at', 'work on', 'work for').