division of labor

American

[dih-vizh-uhn uhv lay-ber] / dɪˈvɪʒ ən əv ˈleɪ bər /

noun

Economics.

a production process in which a worker or group of workers is assigned a specialized task in order to increase efficiency.

division of labor Cultural

Dividing a job into many specialized parts, with a single worker or a few workers assigned to each part. Division of labor is important to mass production.

Etymology

Origin of division of labor

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

division of labor

When Owen Wilson signed on to do a buddy action thriller with muscular "Reacher" star Alan Ritchson, he understood very quickly there would have to be a strict division of labor on set.

From Barron's ● Sep. 8, 2026

And while I could rant about the division of labor and parenting when it comes to different-sex couples, I actually don’t think gender has anything to do with your problem.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026

Ant colonies have a strict division of labor that depends heavily on age.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026

“It’s a division of labor in obtaining classified data.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

Truman’s contingent is not big enough for a division of labor.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023