at work
Definition
- Adjective phrase:
- Engaged in one's job or occupation: Describes the state of being actively involved in performing one's professional duties or tasks at one's place of employment.
- In operation; having an effect: Describes a force, factor, or process that is active, functioning, or producing results.
Usage
- Used to indicate someone is currently performing their job.
- Used to describe an active, influential principle or agent.
Examples
- Adjective phrase (Engaged in work):
- Please be quiet; the doctor is at work in her office.
- He had been at work since 7 a.m., preparing the report.
- Adjective phrase (In operation):
- You could see the creative process at work in her latest painting.
- Several economic factors are at work causing these price changes.
Advanced Usage
- "Hard at work": An intensifier emphasizing diligent, focused effort.
- The team was hard at work to meet the deadline.
- "The forces at work": Refers to the underlying causes or influences in a situation.
- To understand the market shift, we must analyze all the forces at work.
Variants and Related Words
- Workplace (n): The location where someone works.
- Workday (n): A day on which work is done; the part of a day devoted to work.
- Workforce (n): The people engaged in or available for work.
Synonyms
- On duty: Officially working at a particular time.
- On the job: Engaged in one's work.
- Operating: Functioning or being in effect.
- Active: In operation; functioning.
Related Phrases
- At play: Engaged in play or recreation (often used as a conceptual opposite).
- Get to work: To begin working on something.
Notes
- This phrase is typically used predicatively (after a linking verb like ). It is not commonly used attributively (before a noun). For example, we say "The manager is at work," not "the at work manager."
- When meaning "in operation," it often describes abstract forces, ideas, or processes.
Adjective
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on the job
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had been at work for over an hour before her boss arrived
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