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working

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working¹

  • /ˈwɜːkɪŋ/ UK
  • /ˈwɝkɪŋ/ US

Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)kɪŋ

Where it comes from

From Middle English werking, werkynge, warkynge, worchinge, from Old English wyrċing (“working”), verbal noun of wyrċan (“to work”), equivalent to work + -ing. Cognate with Scots wirking, warking, Dutch werking, German Wirkung.

noun workings

  1. countable, plural normally, uncountable Operation; action.
  2. countable, uncountable Method of operation.
  3. countable, uncountable The incidental or subsidiary calculations performed in solving an overall problem. Be sure to check your working.
  4. countable, uncountable Fermentation.
  5. countable, uncountable, of bodies of water Becoming full of a vegetable substance.
  6. countable, uncountable A place where work is carried on. the abandoned mine workings
  7. countable A train movement. From time to time the coaches of the Lötschberg Railway itself, which in comfort and décor can rank with the finest in Europe today, travel far from the frontiers of Switzerland on through workings such as these.

working²

  • /ˈwɜːkɪŋ/ UK
  • /ˈwɝkɪŋ/ US

Rhymes with -ɜː(ɹ)kɪŋ

Where it comes from

From Middle English workyng, wirkynge, worchinge, werchinge, workinde, wirkand, worchende, wurchende, from Old English wyrċende, from Proto-Germanic *wurkijandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *wurkijaną (“to work”), equivalent to work + -ing. Compare Scots wirkand, werkand, warkand (“working”), Dutch werkend (“working, acting”), German wirkend (“acting, working”).

verb

  1. gerund, participle, present present participle and gerund of work Leave him alone; he’s working.

adjective

  1. not comparable That is or are functioning. a working ventilator

    Similar: functioning

  2. not comparable That suffices but requires additional work; provisional. a working copy of the script

    Similar: draft

  3. not comparable In paid employment. Working mothers have recently joined the factory's workforce.

    Similar: employed

  4. not comparable Of or relating to employment. the working week

    Similar: work

  5. not comparable Enough to allow one to use something. have a working knowledge of computers

    Similar: basic

  6. not comparable Used in real life; practical. The working minimum focus distance is the distance from the closest focusable subject to the lens.
  7. not comparable, obsolete Efficacious. You ſee my Lord, what woorking woordes hee hath. But when you ſee his actions ſtop ^([sic – meaning top]) his ſpeech, Your ſpeech will ſtay, or ſo extol his worth, As I ſhalbe commended and excuſde For turning my poore charge to his direction.

Similar: up:, provisional, temporary, in employment · Opposite: broken, broken-down, down:

Working³

Where it comes from

Probably an Americanized form of German Werking.

proper noun Workings

  1. A surname from German.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: operative, functioning, functional, employed, practical, impermanent, temporary, running, operation, operational, operating, function, operate, factor, practice, use

adjective

Similar: up:, provisional, temporary, in employment · Opposite: broken, broken-down, down:

Translations

Every language

noun operation; action

Portuguêsserviço
Русскийдействие dejstvije, функционирование funkcionirovanije

noun method of operation

Portuguêsfuncionamento
Françaisfonctionnement
DeutschAnsatz
Русскийдействие dejstvije, оперирование operirovanije, обработка obrabotka, способ sposob

noun fermentation

Русскийферментация fermentacija

adj functioning

Portuguêsfuncional
Italianofunzionante
Românăfuncțional
Русскийработоспособный rabotosposobnyj, рабо́чий rabóčij

adj suffices but requires additional work

Españolbosquejado, esbozado
Русскийрабочий rabočij, рабочая rabočaja, рабочее rabočeje, рабочие rabočije

adj in paid employment

Русскийработающий rabotajuščij, работающая rabotajuščaja, работающее rabotajuščeje, работающие rabotajuščije

adj of or relating to employment

Italianolavorativo

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Cite this
MLA

"working." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/working. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

working. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/working

Chicago

"working." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/working.

BibTeX
@misc{working_2026,
  title = {working},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/working},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}