work·out
ˈwərk-ˌau̇t 
1
: a practice or exercise to test or improve one's fitness for athletic competition, ability, or performance
2
: a test of one's ability, capacity, stamina, or suitability
3
: an undertaking or plan intended to resolve a problem of indebtedness especially in lieu of bankruptcy or foreclosure proceedings
worked out; working out; works out
1
a
: to bring about by labor and exertion
work out your own salvation—
Philippians 2:12 (King James Version)
Philippians 2:12 (King James Version)
b
: to solve (something, such as a problem) by a process of reasoning or calculation
c
: to devise, arrange, or achieve by resolving difficulties
after many years of wrangling, worked out a definite agreement—A. A. Butkus
A. A. Butkus
d
: develop
the final situation is not worked out with psychological profundity—Leslie Rees
Leslie Rees2
: to discharge (a debt) by labor
3
: to exhaust (something, such as a mine) by working
1
a
: to prove effective, practicable, or suitable
how this will actually work out I don't know—Milton Kotler
Milton Kotler
b
: to amount to a total or calculated figure
—used with at or to
2
: to engage in a workout
works out regularly at the gym
Synonyms
Examples of workout in a Sentence
Noun
The team had a good workout at practice today.
Her workout includes running on the treadmill and lifting weights.
Verb
by putting our heads together, we were able to work out the problem
worked out a compromise between the warring factions
Recent Examples on the WebKailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
That’s where new SDSU head coach Sean Lewis was energetically leading the Aztecs through a workout.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Lenny Kravitz will never sacrifice a rockstar moment, not even during a workout.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Cardio is a full-body workout for me, and everyone’s body is different.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 12 Apr. 2024
With that in mind, Rothenberg designed the five-move Pilates workout for SELF below that’s beginner-friendly and includes lots of ways to tweak the difficulty based on your exact fitness level.
—Christa Sgobba, SELF, 9 Apr. 2024
Washington’s brain trust — including new head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury — was in attendance at Maye’s pro day workout as well.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2024
The Hunger Games alum — who is gearing up to star as buff monster-hunter Geralt of Rivia in season 4 of The Witcher — gave fans a glimpse into his workout with a black-and-white mirror selfie on Friday.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
These workouts involve exercising at a high intensity for short durations, like an all-out sprint or cycle for 30 seconds to a minute, followed by a period of low intensity activity.
—Jason Sawyer, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024
The officers had not yet found a suitable location in which to base themselves and were working out of a box truck whose interior had been converted into a mobile operations center.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Gave him a shot there to try to win the race, didn’t work out, but one of us won it.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2024
He wasn’t invited to the Combine but ran a 4.39 in Frisco, Texas last month — the fastest time among the 137 players who worked out at the Dallas-area scouting event.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2024
According to a one-page outline released Sunday, the bill worked out by McMorris Rodgers and Cantwell would strengthen rules requiring consumer consent before a company can collect or transfer certain kinds of information.
—David Klepper, Quartz, 7 Apr. 2024
Although their initial technology didn't work out, Lau said, the duo teamed up with friends and fellow engineers, and in 2013, Schleppenbach, Tom Baker and Alex Moon came up with a product that hit the right balance of capability and affordability.
—The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2024
The price for the 303 Almaden tower worked out to $151 a square foot while the price for the 111 Market Square tower was $105 a square foot.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
With about 50,000 runners expected to participate in the marathon on the first Sunday in November, the $750,000 the MTA demands works out to $15 per runner.
—Jeff Winter, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
The steam room is one of my favorite things to do right after a workout.
—Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
That’s where new SDSU head coach Sean Lewis was energetically leading the Aztecs through a workout.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Lenny Kravitz will never sacrifice a rockstar moment, not even during a workout.
—Taijuan Moorman, USA TODAY, 12 Apr. 2024
Cardio is a full-body workout for me, and everyone’s body is different.
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 12 Apr. 2024
With that in mind, Rothenberg designed the five-move Pilates workout for SELF below that’s beginner-friendly and includes lots of ways to tweak the difficulty based on your exact fitness level.
—Christa Sgobba, SELF, 9 Apr. 2024
Washington’s brain trust — including new head coach Dan Quinn and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury — was in attendance at Maye’s pro day workout as well.
—Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2024
The Hunger Games alum — who is gearing up to star as buff monster-hunter Geralt of Rivia in season 4 of The Witcher — gave fans a glimpse into his workout with a black-and-white mirror selfie on Friday.
—Bailey Richards, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
These workouts involve exercising at a high intensity for short durations, like an all-out sprint or cycle for 30 seconds to a minute, followed by a period of low intensity activity.
—Jason Sawyer, Discover Magazine, 5 Apr. 2024
Verb
But Roth adds that there is room for someone to purchase the judgments in order to work out a deal with Dame before the auction.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024
The officers had not yet found a suitable location in which to base themselves and were working out of a box truck whose interior had been converted into a mobile operations center.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Gave him a shot there to try to win the race, didn’t work out, but one of us won it.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2024
He wasn’t invited to the Combine but ran a 4.39 in Frisco, Texas last month — the fastest time among the 137 players who worked out at the Dallas-area scouting event.
—Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 7 Apr. 2024
According to a one-page outline released Sunday, the bill worked out by McMorris Rodgers and Cantwell would strengthen rules requiring consumer consent before a company can collect or transfer certain kinds of information.
—David Klepper, Quartz, 7 Apr. 2024
Although their initial technology didn't work out, Lau said, the duo teamed up with friends and fellow engineers, and in 2013, Schleppenbach, Tom Baker and Alex Moon came up with a product that hit the right balance of capability and affordability.
—The Indianapolis Star, 4 Apr. 2024
The price for the 303 Almaden tower worked out to $151 a square foot while the price for the 111 Market Square tower was $105 a square foot.
—George Avalos, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
With about 50,000 runners expected to participate in the marathon on the first Sunday in November, the $750,000 the MTA demands works out to $15 per runner.
—Jeff Winter, CNN, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'workout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
Noun
1892, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
1534, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Articles Related to workout
Dictionary Entries Near workout
Cite this Entry
“Workout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/workout. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
workout
1 of 2 noun
work·out
ˈwər-ˌkau̇t
: a practice or exercise to test or improve one's fitness especially in athletics
work out
2 of 2 verbˌwər-ˈkau̇t,
ˈwər-
1
: to bring about by effort or by clearing up difficulties
2
a
: solve
work out a math problem
b
: develop sense 2
work out a plan
3
: to be successful
our plans for reorganization worked out
4
: to perform athletic exercises to improve one's fitness
working out at the gym
Legal Definition
workout
noun
work·out
: an undertaking or plan intended to resolve a problem of indebtedness especially in lieu of bankruptcy or foreclosure proceedings
More from Merriam-Webster on workout
Nglish: Translation of workout for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of workout for Arabic Speakers
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