working (workings plural )
1 adj Working people have jobs which they are paid to do.
ADJ n
Like working women anywhere, Asian women are buying convenience foods.
2 adj Working people are ordinary people who do not have professional or very highly paid jobs.
ADJ n
(=working class)
The needs and opinions of ordinary working people were ignored...
3 adj A working day or week is the amount of time during a normal day or week which you spend doing your job.
(mainly BRIT) ADJ n
For doctors the working day often has no end..., Automation would bring a shorter, more flexible working week.
in AM, usually use workday, work week
4 adj A working day is a day on which people go to work.
(mainly BRIT) ADJ n
The full effect will not be apparent until Tuesday, the first working day after the three day holiday weekend.
in AM, usually use workday
5 adj Your working life is the period of your life in which you have a job or are of a suitable age to have a job.
ADJ n
He started his working life as a truck driver.
6 adj The working population of an area consists of all the people in that area who have a job or who are of a suitable age to have a job.
ADJ n
Almost 13 per cent of the working population is already unemployed.
7 adj Working conditions or practices are ones which you have in your job.
ADJ n
The strikers are demanding higher pay and better working conditions.
8 adj Working clothes are designed for doing work in, and are intended to be practical rather than attractive.
ADJ n
9 adj A working relationship is the relationship you have with someone when you work with them.
ADJ n
The vice-president seems to have a good working relationship with the president.
10 adj A working farm or business exists to do normal work and make a profit, and not only for tourists or as someone's hobby.
ADJ n
11 adj The working parts of a machine are the parts which move and operate the machine, in contrast to the outer case or container in which they are enclosed.
ADJ n
12 adj A working model is one that has parts that move.
ADJ n
13 adj A working knowledge or majority is not very great, but is enough to be useful.
ADJ n
This book was designed in order to provide a working knowledge of finance and accounts...
14 adj A working title or definition is one which you use when starting to make or do something, but which you are likely to change or improve.
ADJ n
His working title for the script was `Trust the People'.
15 n-plural Theworkingsof a piece of equipment, an organization, or a system are the ways in which it operates and the processes which are involved in it.
usu N of n
Neural networks are computer systems which mimic the workings of the brain...
16 →
in working order →
order
hard-working , hardworking
If you describe someone as hard-working, you mean that they work very hard. adj
He was hardworking and energetic.
working capital
Working capital is money which is available for use immediately, rather than money which is invested in land or equipment. (BUSINESS) n-uncount
working class (working classes plural )The working class or the working classes are the group of people in a society who do not own much property, who have low social status, and who do jobs which involve using physical skills rather than intellectual skills. n-count-coll the N
...increased levels of home ownership among the working classes.
Working class is also an adjective., adj usu ADJ n
...a self-educated man from a working class background..., The group is mainly black, mainly working-class.
working group (working groups plural )A working group is the same as a working party. n-count-coll
There will be a working group on international issues.
working men's club (working men's clubs plural )A working men's club is a place where working people, especially men, can go to relax, drink alcoholic drinks, and sometimes watch live entertainment. n-count
working party (working parties plural )A working party is a committee which is formed to investigate a particular situation or problem and to produce a report containing its opinions and suggestions.
(mainly BRIT) n-count-coll
(=working group)
They set up a working party to look into the issue.
in AM, usually use working group
