work·out
ˈwərk-ˌau̇t 
1
: a practice or exercise to test or improve one's fitness for athletic competition, ability, or performance
2
: a test of one's ability, capacity, stamina, or suitability
3
: an undertaking or plan intended to resolve a problem of indebtedness especially in lieu of bankruptcy or foreclosure proceedings
worked out; working out; works out
1
a
: to bring about by labor and exertion
work out your own salvation—
Philippians 2:12 (King James Version)
Philippians 2:12 (King James Version)
b
: to solve (something, such as a problem) by a process of reasoning or calculation
c
: to devise, arrange, or achieve by resolving difficulties
after many years of wrangling, worked out a definite agreement—A. A. Butkus
A. A. Butkus
d
: develop
the final situation is not worked out with psychological profundity—Leslie Rees
Leslie Rees2
: to discharge (a debt) by labor
3
: to exhaust (something, such as a mine) by working
1
a
: to prove effective, practicable, or suitable
how this will actually work out I don't know—Milton Kotler
Milton Kotler
b
: to amount to a total or calculated figure
—used with at or to
2
: to engage in a workout
works out regularly at the gym
Synonyms
Examples of workout in a Sentence
Noun
The team had a good workout at practice today.
Her workout includes running on the treadmill and lifting weights.
Verb
by putting our heads together, we were able to work out the problem
worked out a compromise between the warring factions
Recent Examples on the WebChrista Sgobba, SELF, 25 Apr. 2024
The gym was founded in 2013 in Australia and offers 45-minute, intense fitness workouts complete with in-studio trainers.
—Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
Their flexible, wraparound ear loops are also designed to stay in place during vigorous workouts, and they’re built to withstand sweaty workout sessions and runs thanks to their IPX7 rating for sweat and water resistance.
—Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 24 Apr. 2024
Just as massage guns made the transition from elite recovery tools to workout essentials, cold-water therapy is no longer just for use by athletes looking to alleviate pain post-exercise, or as a torture device in luxury spas.
—Emily Peck, WIRED, 23 Apr. 2024
Both sides of the line were identified as San Diego State’s biggest positions of need entering and exiting spring workouts.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2024
Advertisement Keanu Williams, Gary Smith III and Sitiveni Havili-Kaufusi are the top candidates to take the two starting spots on interior defensive line, though Smith has been sidelined this spring by an unspecified injury that has limited him to individual workouts.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The steam room is one of my favorite things to do right after a workout.
—Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
That’s where new SDSU head coach Sean Lewis was energetically leading the Aztecs through a workout.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
Throughout Tortured Poets, Swift is trying to work out how emotional violence occurs: how men inflict it on women and women cultivate it within themselves.
—Ann Powers, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
That works out to nearly a third of its MSRP right off the bat, and that doesn’t even include tax breaks or utility rebates for buyers.
—Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
It’s designed to work out of the box with Discord, OBS Studio, and other apps for streaming to Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok.
—Tom Warren, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
That’s due to numerous factors, and many people, of course, work out of financial necessity; the retirement crisis is very real.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
But Roth adds that there is room for someone to purchase the judgments in order to work out a deal with Dame before the auction.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024
The officers had not yet found a suitable location in which to base themselves and were working out of a box truck whose interior had been converted into a mobile operations center.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Gave him a shot there to try to win the race, didn’t work out, but one of us won it.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2024
Noun
One way to do this is to divide your sessions into pull workouts and push workouts, and alternate between the two, Williams says.
—Christa Sgobba, SELF, 25 Apr. 2024
The gym was founded in 2013 in Australia and offers 45-minute, intense fitness workouts complete with in-studio trainers.
—Liza Esquibias, Peoplemag, 25 Apr. 2024
Their flexible, wraparound ear loops are also designed to stay in place during vigorous workouts, and they’re built to withstand sweaty workout sessions and runs thanks to their IPX7 rating for sweat and water resistance.
—Sheena Vasani, The Verge, 24 Apr. 2024
Just as massage guns made the transition from elite recovery tools to workout essentials, cold-water therapy is no longer just for use by athletes looking to alleviate pain post-exercise, or as a torture device in luxury spas.
—Emily Peck, WIRED, 23 Apr. 2024
Both sides of the line were identified as San Diego State’s biggest positions of need entering and exiting spring workouts.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Apr. 2024
Advertisement Keanu Williams, Gary Smith III and Sitiveni Havili-Kaufusi are the top candidates to take the two starting spots on interior defensive line, though Smith has been sidelined this spring by an unspecified injury that has limited him to individual workouts.
—Ben Bolch, Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2024
The steam room is one of my favorite things to do right after a workout.
—Kailyn Brown, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2024
That’s where new SDSU head coach Sean Lewis was energetically leading the Aztecs through a workout.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Verb
Skydance and Paramount are trying to work out a deal that would merge Paramount into Skydance and bring in a new management regime led by Skydance CEO David Ellison.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 19 Apr. 2024
Throughout Tortured Poets, Swift is trying to work out how emotional violence occurs: how men inflict it on women and women cultivate it within themselves.
—Ann Powers, NPR, 19 Apr. 2024
That works out to nearly a third of its MSRP right off the bat, and that doesn’t even include tax breaks or utility rebates for buyers.
—Andy Kalmowitz / Jalopnik, Quartz, 18 Apr. 2024
It’s designed to work out of the box with Discord, OBS Studio, and other apps for streaming to Twitch, YouTube, and TikTok.
—Tom Warren, The Verge, 18 Apr. 2024
That’s due to numerous factors, and many people, of course, work out of financial necessity; the retirement crisis is very real.
—Alicia Adamczyk, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024
But Roth adds that there is room for someone to purchase the judgments in order to work out a deal with Dame before the auction.
—Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024
The officers had not yet found a suitable location in which to base themselves and were working out of a box truck whose interior had been converted into a mobile operations center.
—Luke Mogelson, The New Yorker, 8 Apr. 2024
Gave him a shot there to try to win the race, didn’t work out, but one of us won it.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'workout.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Workout.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/workout. Accessed 28 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
workout
1 of 2 noun
work·out
ˈwər-ˌkau̇t
: a practice or exercise to test or improve one's fitness especially in athletics
work out
2 of 2 verbˌwər-ˈkau̇t,
ˈwər-
1
: to bring about by effort or by clearing up difficulties
2
a
: solve
work out a math problem
b
: develop sense 2
work out a plan
3
: to be successful
our plans for reorganization worked out
4
: to perform athletic exercises to improve one's fitness
working out at the gym
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