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
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
Noun
an article about the byzantine workings of the auction business for high-end art
Adjective
There is a good working relationship between the departments.
the working parts of the machine
Recent Examples on the Web
John Koetsier, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
The 660-plus scrolls stayed buried under volcanic mud until they were excavated in the 1700s from a single room that archaeologists believe held the personal working library of an Epicurean philosopher named Philodemus.
—Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
Kweilin Ellingrud, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
Newsweek has contacted the Saint Paul Police Department for comment and additional information via email outside of standard working hours on Thursday.
—Joe Edwards, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for working
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Noun
There are 16 leading companies in the humanoid robots space, with probably 100 total working on the problem.
—John Koetsier, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2025
The 660-plus scrolls stayed buried under volcanic mud until they were excavated in the 1700s from a single room that archaeologists believe held the personal working library of an Epicurean philosopher named Philodemus.
—Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
Adjective
Over the course of a 30-year career, that difference adds up to about half a million dollars in lower earnings for a working American woman.
—Kweilin Ellingrud, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2025
Newsweek has contacted the Saint Paul Police Department for comment and additional information via email outside of standard working hours on Thursday.
—Joe Edwards, Newsweek, 26 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for working
Articles Related to working
Cite this Entry
“Working.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/working. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
working
2 of 2 adjective1
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
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