Definition
Definition of make-work - Reverso English Dictionary
Noun
pointless workRare US work or tasks that have little real value or purposeRare US
- Filling out these forms is just make-work.
- Sorting these papers is just make-work.
- He complained about the make-work assigned by his boss.
Expressions with make-work
💡 Discover popular phrases, idioms, collocations, or phrasal verbs. Click any expression to learn more, listen to its pronunciation, or save it to your favorites.
job with no real value, often just to keep people busy
He was given a make-work job to stay occupied.
Origin of make-work
English, make (create) + work (task)
Terms with make-work included in their meaning
💡 A powerful way to uncover related words, idioms, and expressions linked by the same idea — and explore meaning beyond exact word matches.
behavior
unwilling to work or make an effort
business
planned gathering where people discuss work topics and make decisions
general use
make money through work or effort
machines or systems
make sure something continues to work or operate
transportation
make an engine work, usually by starting and keeping it going
organization
make people or things work together smoothly
technology process
make a process or system work by itself automatically
finance
make a large amount of money through work or investment
system
make a system or process work
mechanics
essential details or basic parts that make something work
product planning
make a new plan for how something should look and work
harmonize timing
make things work at the same time or rate
overwork
make someone work so hard they suffer or feel exhausted
coordinate
make different things work well together
working hard
make someone work very hard or push them to do more
work effort
make yourself work very hard or for long hours
livelihood
work to make money for living expenses
business
money or benefits given for work done or to make up loss
improvement
make something work in the best possible way
stop working
make something unable to work or move
technology
process of adjusting a system to make it work faster or better
business
ongoing effort to make a work method faster safer or more effective
long hours
work hard or make a significant effort
challenge
make someone work hard for their success
View all translations of make-work
Click below to see the appropriate translations facing each meaning.
- French:travail inutile, ...
- German:Beschäftigungstherapie, ...
- Italian:lavoro inutile, ...
- Spanish:trabajo inútil, ...
- Portuguese:trabalho para encher chouriços, ...
- Chinese:无用功, ...
- Japanese:無駄仕事, ...
- Arabic:عَمَل شَكْلِي, ...
- Hebrew:עֲבוֹדָה לְשֵׁם עֲבוֹדָה, ...
- Russian:бессмысленная работа, ...
- Ukrainian:імітація роботи, ...
- Hindi:बेकार काम, ...
icon to discover related terms: analogies, antonyms, common collocates, words with same roots, umbrella terms… Try with happening or hunch.
icon next to the first example to see two additional options and learn to use new vocabulary naturally.
icon to save words you want to revisit. You can also save a specific meaning by clicking on the