work the room en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
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(idiomatic, of a host, qualifier:hostess; or guest; hostess; or guest) To interact enthusiastically with the attendees at an event, by moving among them, greeting them, and engaging them in conversation.
As a campaigning politician, he really knew how to shake hands, kiss babies, and work the room.
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(idiomatic, of a performer or public speaker) To interact with one's audience, taking cues from its reactions and adapting one's performance or words to elicit the audience's attention and enthusiasm.
In show business parlance, Miss Hudson knows how to "work the room." Her comic turns are as rooted in vaudeville as her high-style wit is straight out of the smart supper club circuit.
1989 February 26, Alvin Klein, “Theatre: ‘Jerry's Girls,’ Revue, in East Windsor”, in New York Times, retrieved 03 Jul 2008:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| worked the room | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| worked the room | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| works the room | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| working the room | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Relateds
read the room · meet-and-greet
Synonyms
work the crowd · work the line · work the bar · work the audience
Translations (2)
fi ottaa yleisönsä (to interact with one's audience) · fi ottaa yleisönsä (to interact with attendees at social event)