Phrase guide

working memory

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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No pronunciation record was provided for this word.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A cognitive system with a limited capacity that can hold information temporarily.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Topics: human-sciences, psychology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

memory for intermediate results that must be held during thinking

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: memory, remembering

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

22 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Arabic: ذاكرة عاملة — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Catalan: memòria de treball — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Danish: arbejdshukommelse — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Dutch: werkgeheugen — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Estonian: töömälu — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Finnish: työmuisti — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • French: mémoire de travail — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • German: Arbeitsgedächtnis — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Hebrew: זיכרון עבודה — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Hungarian: munkamemória — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Italian: memoria di lavoro — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Japanese: ワーキングメモリ — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Kazakh: қызметтік жады (qyzmettık jady) — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Persian: حافظه کاری — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Polish: pamięć robocza — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Portuguese: memória de trabalho — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Russian: рабо́чая па́мять (rabóčaja pámjatʹ) — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Serbo-Croatian: radna memorija — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Spanish: memoria de trabajo — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Swedish: arbetsminne — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Turkish: çalışma belleği — cognitive system with a limited capacity
  • Ukrainian: робоча пам'ять (roboča pamʺjatʹ) — cognitive system with a limited capacity