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
Synonyms
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
Jesus Mesa, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
Advertisement Malaria, yellow fever and other tropical diseases devastated a workforce already struggling with especially dangerous terrain and harsh working conditions in the jungle, eventually costing more than 20,000 lives by some estimates.
—Will Weissert, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024
Thomas Meaney, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
The House and Senate have three more working weeks in December.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for working 
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Noun
Workers at hundreds of stores across the United States are striking, demanding better wages, benefits, and working conditions during one of the busiest times of the year.
—Jesus Mesa, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024
Advertisement Malaria, yellow fever and other tropical diseases devastated a workforce already struggling with especially dangerous terrain and harsh working conditions in the jungle, eventually costing more than 20,000 lives by some estimates.
—Will Weissert, Los Angeles Times, 24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
Streets were treated as living rooms and living rooms were treated as streets; festivals invaded every working day; the division between night and day was never neatly observed.
—Thomas Meaney, The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024
The House and Senate have three more working weeks in December.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 21 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for working
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Dictionary Entries Near working
Cite this Entry
“Working.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/working. Accessed 30 Dec. 2024.
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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