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underwork

American  
[uhn-der-wurk] / ˌʌn dərˈwɜrk /

verb (used with object)

underworked, underworking

  1. to do less work on than is necessary or required.

    to underwork an idea.

  2. to employ inadequately.

    He underworks his mind and overworks his feet.

verb (used without object)

underworked, underworking

  1. to do less work than is normal or proper.

    He is fat because he underworks and overeats.

Other Word Forms

  • underworker noun

Etymology

Origin of underwork

First recorded in 1495–1505; under- + work

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.