labor
noun
productive activity, especially for the sake of economic gain.
had been laboring
-
past perfect progressiveof labor.past perfect progressive
Used to describe an action that was ongoing continuously in the past up until another past event interrupted it.
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.
Frustrated city officials had been laboring for months, without success, to get disaster assistance.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2025
All had been laboring in the fields when temperatures were above 100 degrees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 9, 2025
It did wonders; I finished a big manuscript I had been laboring on for months and months.
From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2022
Mr. Tollett said that he and his team had been laboring over logistics to minimize patrons’ time waiting in line, and spent months scouring the region for more than 1,000 flushable toilets.
From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 2016
By the time it had done so, the American effort had been laboring for nearly two years without reaching a conclusion.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
