1. physical effort or activity, especially walking or traveling, required to accomplish a task
Usage: informal
2. preliminary research or investigation that involves gathering information through direct contact or observation
Usage: informal

Examples

• The detective did all the legwork to solve the case.
• I’ll handle the legwork while you prepare the presentation.
• Finding the best deals requires a lot of legwork.
• The journalist’s legwork uncovered important evidence.
• After hours of legwork, we finally found the perfect venue.
• The real estate agent did the legwork to find suitable properties.