belabour

US belabor

/ (bɪˈleɪbə) /

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verb (tr)

to beat severely; thrash

to attack verbally; criticize harshly

an obsolete word for labour

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Words nearby belabour

Békésy, bel, Bela, belabor, belabor the point, belabour, Belafonte, belah, bélandre, Bel and the Dragon, Belarus

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

How to use belabour in a sentence

Bruin's master did not fail to take the part of his companion, and, in his turn, began to belabour the dog.
Portraits of Curious Characters in London, &c. &c.|Anonymous
At one time some worthy fellow entreats us to take up the public cudgel and belabour a blatant Economist.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 68, No. 417, July, 1850|Various
Baba Yaga appears with the usual phenomena, and the usual dialogue follows, till she begins to belabour the hero with her pestle.
Beowulf|R. W. Chambers
He took the whip and stood up to belabour the wretched sleeper about the neck, face and shoulders.
Moscow|Fred Whishaw

Saying which, she proceeded to belabour the poor Dwarf with her knotted stick, clutching him fast by his ear the while.
The Geste of Duke Jocelyn|Jeffery Farnol