This is a word-level vocabulary list for the workplace — the nouns, verbs, and adjectives you'll need constantly at work. For full ready-to-use email and meeting phrases, see our Business English section instead.
Job roles and structure
colleague, manager, employee, employer, supervisor, department, team, client, stakeholder, intern, freelancer, headquarters, branch.
Tasks and responsibilities
task, project, deadline, responsibility, workload, priority, assignment, objective, deliverable, milestone.
Meetings and communication
meeting, agenda, minutes, presentation, feedback, report, memo, briefing, follow-up, update.
Money and performance at work
salary, budget, expense, revenue, profit, invoice, promotion, performance, bonus, raise, negotiation.
Professional qualities (adjectives)
reliable, efficient, proactive, organised, adaptable, punctual, cooperative, resourceful, detail-oriented, accountable.
Common workplace verbs
| Verb | Meaning |
|---|---|
| delegate | assign a task to someone else |
| collaborate | work together with others |
| prioritise | decide what's most important to do first |
| streamline | make a process simpler or more efficient |
| oversee | supervise or manage a process |
| implement | put a plan or decision into action |
Remote and hybrid work vocabulary
remote, hybrid, onboarding, work-life balance, flexible hours, video call, async (asynchronous), in-office.
Where to go next
Turn this vocabulary into full working phrases with Professional Email Phrases and Meeting English Phrases, or explore Common Collocations for natural word pairings.