outwork

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a subsidiary defensive fortification built beyond a fortress's main enclosure

   A detached outwork guarded the road leading to the citadel.

2. 2
   verb

   to work harder, faster, or more effectively than another person

   She hoped to outwork every rival through patience and discipline.

Formed from out- + work. The military noun names a defensive work lying outside the principal walls; the later verb uses out- competitively, meaning 'to work more or better than.'

Topics