workings

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

work•ing /ˈwɜrkɪŋ/   n. 

1. [uncountable] the act of one that works.
2. operation;
   action:
   [countable] the complicated workings of his mind.

adj. 

3. doing or engaged in work for a living;
   employed:
   working men and women.
4. related to or organized for conducting work:
   a working lunch.
5. permitting continued work or activity;
   making continued work easy:
   a working model; a working majority.
6. adequate for usual or customary needs:
   a working knowledge of Spanish.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

work•ing  (wûr′king), n. 

1. the act of a person or thing that works.
2. operation;
   action:
   the involuted workings of his mind.
3. the process of shaping a material:
   The working of clay is easy when it's damp.
4. the act of manufacturing or building a thing.
5. Mining Usually, workings. a part of a mine, quarry, or the like, in which work is carried on.
6. the process of fermenting, as of yeasts.
7. a slow advance involving exertion.
8. disturbed or twisting motions:
   The working of his limbs revealed the disease.
9. repeated movement or strain tending to loosen a structural assembly or part.

adj. 

10. that works.
11. doing some form of work or labor, esp. manual, mechanical, or industrial work, as for a living:
    a working person.
12. operating;
    producing effects, results, etc.
13. pertaining to, connected with, or used in operating or working.
14. serving to permit or facilitate continued work:
    a working model; a working majority.
15. adequate for usual or customary needs:
    a working knowledge of Spanish.
16. large enough for working or being worked:
    a working sample.
17. done, taken, etc., while conducting or discussing business:
    a working lunch.
18. Metallurgy Also, work. (of a face or edge, as of a timber or a metal casting) shaped and planed as a reference for further shaping and planing.

• Middle English werking. See work, -ing¹, -ing² 1250–1300

Synonyms

• 15. usable, practical, operative, functioning.