working order

noun

The state or condition of being operational or of functioning acceptably.

Meanings

nounworking order (uncountable)
  1. especiallyuncountableThe state or condition of being operational or of functioning acceptably.

    The engine was in working order.

    1908, H. G. Wells, chapter 10, in The War in the Air
    5 more examples

    [T]he Commission got itself into systematic working order, and for weeks the contributions flowed into its treasury in a generous stream.

    1870–1871 (date written), Mark Twain [pseudonym; Samuel Langhorne Clemens], chapter XLV, in Roughing It, Hartford, Conn.: American Publishing Company [et al.], published 1872, →OCLC, page 315

    The locomotive stock consists of three of the six original American-built 4-6-0 tanks, named Bridget, Peggy, and Hummy, all in clean condition and good working order; [...].

    1944 January and February, “Light Railways in Derbyshire”, in Railway Magazine, page 25

    The Hedjaz Railway is best known for its connections to T. E. Lawrence, whose fame as "El Orens", the railway wrecker, spread quickly throughout Arabia. He arrived at Yenbo in December, 1916, and immediately started his campaign to sabotage the railway, but to keep it sufficiently in working order to allow supplies to reach Medina.

    1956 March, R. C. Blaker, “The Hedjaz Railway”, in Railway Magazine, pages 166-167

    Each coach on the Swedish Yoa2 is 57ft long and 10ft 4in wide; with its two traction motors the unit weighs 79 tons in working order and has a maximum speed of under 60 m.p.h.

    1961 January, “The latest in Continental electric multiple-units and their operation”, in Trains Illustrated, page 47

    Upstream from the house is a watermill, cased in gleaming white weather-boarding, which has been restored to working order. Near by is the water-driven turbine which [Rudyard] Kipling had installed in 1902 to light his mansion with electricity.

    1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 98

Synonyms & antonyms

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 正常運轉狀態 /正常运转状态, 正常工作
  • 正常運轉狀態 /正常运转状态 (zhèngcháng yùnzhuǎn zhuàngtài)state or condition of being operational
  • 正常工作 (zhèngcháng gōngzuò)state or condition of being operational
Finnish käyttökunto
  • käyttökuntostate or condition of being operational
French en état de marche
  • en état de marchestate or condition of being operational
Polish sprawność
  • sprawnośćstate or condition of being operational
Cite this entry
APA

working order. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/working%20order

MLA

“working order.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/working%20order. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “working order,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/working%20order.

Source: working order on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.