English Reference
noun

workout

n.
US /ˈwɝˌkaʊt/ UK /wˈɜːkaʊt/ work·out UK spelling workouts

  1. 01 C1 Advanced Informal

    any activity that is very tiring or requires a lot of mental or physical effort.

    any task or experience that demands significant physical or cognitive exertion, often resulting in fatigue.

    Simple

    Moving all that heavy furniture gave me a real workout.

    In context

    The three-hour technical interview was a mental workout that left the candidate feeling completely drained by the end of the afternoon.

Ice baths can reduce soreness and support short-term recovery after an intense workout.

The Conversation· 18 Aug 2026

The team compared the effects of individual workouts and physical activity performed together as a couple on three relationship outcomes: communication, conflict resolution and marital stress.

Phys.org· 11 Aug 2026

Deverbal from work out.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Common
Updated