working

1 of 2

noun

work·​ing ˈwər-kiŋ How to pronounce working (audio)
1
: the manner of functioning or operating : operation
usually used in plural
the inner workings of the government
2
: an excavation or group of excavations made in mining, quarrying, or tunneling
usually used in plural

working

2 of 2

adjective

1
: engaged in work especially for wages or a salary
a working journalist
a working mother
2
: adequate to permit work to be done
a working majority
3
: assumed or adopted to permit or facilitate further work or activity
a working draft
4
: spent at work
working life
5
: being in use or operation
a working farm

Examples of working in a Sentence

Adjective There is a good working relationship between the departments. the working parts of the machine
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The battle over working hours goes back to the 19th century, said Erik Loomis, a professor and labor historian at the University of Rhode Island. María Luisa Paúl, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 There were lots of challenges along the way, including things such as pollution, dangerous working conditions, and cramped, unhygienic cities. The Editors, National Review, 18 Mar. 2024 California labor leaders scored a significant win for fast-food restaurant employees when Gov. Gavin Newsom last year signed legislation providing a $20-an-hour minimum wage and creating a new government agency to set working conditions. Mercury News & East Bay Times Editorial Boards, The Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2024 According to Henry Liu, director of the FTC’s bureau of competition, grocery-store workers would suffer from dwindling wages, diminishing benefits and deteriorating working conditions if the merger goes through. The Arizona Republic, 13 Mar. 2024 Christopher’s working titles are named after his kids Directors often give their movies working titles that are not their official names while filming so fans and others don’t know what their project is about. Rebecca Aizin, Peoplemag, 11 Mar. 2024 Set expectations about social media Social media has become a hotbed for controversial political issues, and what workers say on these platforms—even on their personal accounts or outside working hours—can hurt a company’s reputation. Paige McGlauflin, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 With fewer working royals, the importance of being seen has never felt more vital. Anna Russell, The New Yorker, 8 Mar. 2024 She’s got a working list of about five women whose stories haven’t been told — or told deeply. Helena Andrews-Dyer, Washington Post, 8 Mar. 2024
Adjective
Few frontline physicians have a working knowledge of every rare disease, or even some. David A. Brenner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Feb. 2024 Here on the tiny working waterfront of Tybee Island, Georgia, the hesitancy is logical. Patrik Jonsson, The Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan. 2024 Working moms are turning to entrepreneurship Despite assumptions that pregnant women and mothers are less interested in career progression, Fawcett’s research found that most working moms remained just as ambitious after a baby—and nearly half became more ambitious. Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 24 Nov. 2023 Soon, others followed with demonstrations of drawing a clone of Breakout, creating a working dial clock that ticks, drawing the snake game, making a Pong game, interpreting a visual state chart, and much more. Benj Edwards, Ars Technica, 16 Nov. 2023 Till then, time to dust off those CDs — and find a working Discman. Vulture, 13 Nov. 2023 The places in America that produce the most working musicians tend to be the states with the largest Black populations. Andrew Van Dam, Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2023 The run-up to the 2024 election will demand familiarity not only with Washington, but also a working knowledge of the courtroom. Brian Steinberg, Variety, 8 Sep. 2023 For International Coworking Day on Aug. 9, the company rented co-working space and arranged happy hours in nearly a dozen cities across the country. Taylor Telford, Anchorage Daily News, 3 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'working.' 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

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1708, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of working was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near working

Cite this Entry

“Working.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/working. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

working

1 of 2 noun
work·​ing ˈwər-kiŋ How to pronounce working (audio)
: the manner of functioning or operating : operation
usually used in plural
the inner workings of the motion picture industry

working

2 of 2 adjective
1
a
: doing work especially for a living
working people
b
: being in an operating state
a working model
2
: good enough to allow work to be done
a working majority
a working arrangement

More from Merriam-Webster on working

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!