outwork

[ verb out-wurk; noun out-wurk ]

verb (used with object)

, out·worked or out·wrought, out·work·ing.

1. to work harder, better, or faster than.
2. to work out or carry on to a conclusion; finish:

   a problem to be outworked in after generations.

3. Archaic. to outdo in workmanship.

noun

1. a minor defense built or established outside the principal fortification limits.

outwork

noun

1. often plural defences which lie outside main defensive works
2. work performed away from the factory, office, etc, by which it has been commissioned

verb

1. to work better, harder, etc, than
2. to work out to completion

Derived Forms

• ˈoutˌworker, noun

Other Words From

• outworker noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of outwork¹

1200–50; Middle English: to complete; out-, work

Example Sentences

“You’ve got to get in there and outwork them, outthink them, outperform them,” Dennis had told his son, “until there’s no doubt in anybody’s mind that you should be in there.”

From Los Angeles Times

“But that is my work ethic. You know, you always feel like you wish you could get something — the accomplishments you want — based on your work ethic. But it doesn’t happen that way in this game, you know, it really doesn’t. You just never know how the ball falls and, for me, the only thing I do know is to try to outwork somebody else. So, that’s what I plan to do.”

From Los Angeles Times

“He will outwork anybody,” Young said.

From Los Angeles Times

“So not only did I start seeing myself differently, but other players did. It kind of fueled me from then on. I was like, without even working that hard, I can outwork everyone. What if I actually went harder? So that’s what I did. That’s what I still do.”

From Los Angeles Times

“She runs harder and runs faster than her opponents. Nobody’s going to outwork her.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bastion
• fortress
• mainstay
• redoubt