What does working mean?
Working is the present participle and gerund of work, so it can describe a person engaged in an activity or an action in progress. As an adjective, it often means functioning or operational, but it can also mark something temporary or provisional. In noun uses, the working of a system refers to its operation, while workings often means internal mechanisms or processes. The word is common in both British and American English and is useful because it carries several related ideas: activity, continued operation, practical use, and tentative status. Its meaning therefore shifts naturally with context. Working can express either productive effort or simply the fact that a person is employed. In professional writing it is generally neutral, although a working assumption or arrangement can signal that further revision or confirmation may be required.
To be engaged in a job, task, or activity, or to attempt to achieve something through sustained effort.
"They are working to reduce the number of delays at the airport."
The verb form functions as both a present participle and, with forms of do, as a gerund.
Functioning or in use; also temporary, provisional, or adopted for practical purposes.
"The engineers displayed a working model of the new device."
This use can distinguish a practical example from a theoretical one, or indicate that something is not yet final.
The activity, operation, or internal process by which something is done.
"Few people understood the working of the ancient machine."
The plural workings is more common when referring to internal processes or mechanisms.
The plural is especially common for internal mechanisms, processes, or the operation of a system.
"The committee examined the workings of the compensation system."
Working shares an ancient root with energy and organ: Greek ergon meant “work” or “activity.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does working come from?
Working is formed from work with the present-participle and gerund suffix -ing. Work descends from Old English weorc and is cognate with forms such as Old Norse verk and German Werk. More distantly, it shares an Indo-European ancestry with Greek ergon, “work” or “activity,” from which words including energy and organ ultimately derive.
Related word forms
How working is actually used
Working is common in both formal and informal contexts. Its adjectival use can suggest practical operation, as distinct from theoretical possibility, or a status that is temporary or provisional. The noun sense is often replaced by operation, activity, or workings.