Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - working

~1 adj only before noun 1 »HAVING A JOB« a) having a job that you are paid for  (a working mother) b) having a job that requires physical rather than intellectual skill  (an ordinary working man) 2 »CLOTHES« working clothes are designed for people to work in rather than to look attractive 3 »CONDITIONS/PRACTICES« working conditions or practices are the ones you have in your job  (recent improvements in working conditions) 4 »HOURS« your working hours are the period of time during the day when you are doing your job 5 have a working knowledge of to have enough knowledge of a system, foreign language etc to be able to use it, although your knowledge is limited  (Gita has a working knowledge of Spanish and French.) 6 »RELATIONSHIP« a working relationship is the kind of relationship that two people have who work well together  (The working relationship between Hodges and Bradley began to deteriorate.) 7 »MODEL« a working model is one that has parts that move 8 »PARTS OF A MACHINE« the working parts of a machine are the parts that move and operate the machine 9 be in working order to be working properly and not broken  (be in good/perfect working order)  (The car was old, but the engine was still in good working order.) 10 »THEORY/DEFINITION« a working theory or definition is not complete in every detail, but is good enough for you to use as a basis for studying something or doing a job 11 working breakfast/lunch/dinner a breakfast, lunch etc which is also a business meeting ~2 n 1 also workings the way something such as a system, piece of equipment, or organization works + of  (the inside workings of the Reagan presidency | I shall never understand the workings of his mind.) 2 C usually plural a mine or part of a mine where soil has been dug out in order to remove metals or stone  (the workings of a long-disused quarry)