outwork — English Dictionary

Verb

1. To work more, faster, or harder than (someone else).

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Broader terms

   outdo

   Examples

   A few may be able to outsmart him, but no one can outwork him.

   And I am one of those people who is indefatigable, in the true sense that I beg someone to find someone who can outwork me.

2. To work out to a finish; to complete.

   Usage

   • Obsolete
   • Rare

   Examples

   For now three dayes of men were full outwrought, / Since he this hardie enterprize began [...].

Noun

1. A minor, subsidiary fortification built beyond the main limits of fortification.

   Usage

   • Countable

   Examples

   Beyond the castle, scattered outworks offered some protection for the farther-flung peasants.

2. Agricultural work done outdoors in the fields.

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Synonyms

   fieldwork

Noun

1. subsidiary defensive structure lying outside the main fortified area

   Broader terms

   defensive structuredefensedefence

   Examples

   the outworks of the castle