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division of labor

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

noun

Economics.

  1. 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  

  1. 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.

He doesn’t even know how the division of labor started.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 10, 2026

Athens’s wealth enabled a deeper division of labor and the rise of professions like philosopher, historian, sculptor, architect, playwright and actor.

From The Wall Street Journal • Aug. 29, 2025

In my research, I’ve studied how couples navigate the transition to parenthood, and found that the division of labor often becomes a major source of stress for moms.

From Slate • Jun. 15, 2025

And so he devised a division of labor system, which he called parataxonomy.

From Salon • Apr. 26, 2025

Part of the new production method’s genius was its division of labor into unskilled tasks.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.