workforce

noun

work·​force ˈwərk-ˌfȯrs 

1

: the workers engaged in a specific activity or enterprise

the factory's workforce

2

: the number of workers potentially assignable for any purpose

the nation's workforce

Synonyms of workforce

• staff
• manpower
• personnel
• pool

Examples of workforce in a Sentence

We have a workforce of 2,400 people.

the office's entire workforce is devoted to a single project right now

Recent Examples on the Web

Such an expansion would significantly broaden the site’s manufacturing scope and could increase the total workforce to around 300 employees. —Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 14 Dec. 2025

Spain’s economy has grown faster than any other EU nation for a second year in a row, due in part to newcomers boosting its aging workforce. —Suman Naishadham, Fortune, 13 Dec. 2025

The workforce board teamed up with the Minnesota Legislature on a law to pay all nursing home workers at least $19 an hour. —CBS News, 13 Dec. 2025

Trump has moved to void labor contracts for about 700,000 federal workers as part of his move to take more control of the federal workforce. —Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 12 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1866, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for workforce

• concourse
• divorce
• endorse
• enforce
• indorse
• midcourse
• outsource
• perforce
• racecourse
• racehorse
• remorse
• seahorse

Kids Definition

workforce

noun

work·​force ˈwərk-ˌfō(ə)rs 

-ˌfȯ(ə)rs

: the workers of a specific activity or business

the factory's workforce