To work means to use effort and energy to accomplish something or earn money. When you work on a math problem, you're thinking hard to find the answer. When your parents go to work, they're doing their jobs to earn money for the family. Construction workers work with their hands and tools to build buildings, while teachers work by helping students learn.

Work isn't always about getting paid. You work when you practice the piano, train for a sport, or help clean the garage. The key is that you're putting in real effort toward a goal. Sometimes work feels hard and tiring, but other times it feels satisfying, especially when you see what you've accomplished.

The word can also describe how something operates or functions. A machine works when it runs properly. A plan works when it succeeds at solving a problem. If you figure out a clever trick for memorizing spelling words, you might say “it really works!”

As a noun, work can mean the effort you do, like homework or chores. It can also mean a job, like “I have to leave for work.”

When something is described as a work, like a work of art or a famous literary work, it means a created thing: a painting, sculpture, book, or symphony that someone made through effort and skill.

People sometimes talk about things working out, meaning they turn out well in the end. And when you work hard, you're giving strong, sustained effort to achieve something worthwhile.