labor

especially British, la·bour

[ley-ber]

noun

1. productive activity, especially for the sake of economic gain.

   Antonyms: rest, leisure, idleness

2. the body of persons engaged in such activity, especially those working for wages.

   Synonyms: working class

3. this body of persons considered as a class (management andcapital ).

4. physical or mental work, especially of a hard or fatiguing kind; toil.

   Synonyms: exertion
   Antonyms: rest, leisure, idleness

5. a job or task done or to be done.

6. the physical effort and periodic uterine contractions of childbirth.

   Synonyms: delivery, parturition

7. the interval from the onset of these contractions to childbirth.

8. Also called Labor Department. Informal.,  Labor. the Department of Labor.

verb (used without object)

1. to perform labor; exert one's powers of body or mind; work; toil.

   Synonyms: drudge
   Antonyms: rest

2. to strive, as toward a goal; work hard (often followed byfor ).

   to labor for peace.

3. to act, behave, or function at a disadvantage (usually followed byunder ).

   to labor under a misapprehension.

4. to be in the actual process of giving birth.

5. to roll or pitch heavily, as a ship.

verb (used with object)

1. to develop or dwell on in excessive detail.

   Don't labor the point.

   Synonyms: overdo, belabor

2. to burden or tire.

   to labor the reader with unnecessary detail.

3. British Dialect.,  to work or till (soil or the like).

adjective

1. of or relating to workers, their associations, or working conditions.

   labor reforms.

labor

/ ˈleɪbə /

verb

1. the US spelling of labour

labor

1. The process by which the birth of a mammal occurs, beginning with contractions of the uterus and ending with the expulsion of the fetus and the placenta.

labor

1. The physical processes at the end of a normal pregnancy, including opening of the cervix and contractions of the uterus, that lead to the birth of the baby.

Other Word Forms

• laboringly adverb
• laborless adjective
• antilabor adjective
• nonlabor adjective
• outlabor verb (used with object)
• overlabor verb (used with object)
• prelabor noun
• prolabor adjective
• unlaboring adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of labor¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English labour, from Old French, from Latin labōr- (stem of labor ) “work”

Example Sentences

Since America’s founding, new ideas and innovations have reshaped what work looks like in this country, as well as how our labor force is compensated and protected while performing their jobs.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

It wasn’t surprising to see complaints about the agreement from labor groups and other economic isolationists.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Still, it was an open secret that the car wash industry, which paid low wages for back-breaking labor, largely attracted people without legal status.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

“The rebuild of our community will not happen without the labor of workers, and this is where they come to look for work.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Expect a rebalanced division of labor: The technical layer gets faster and cheaper; the human layer shifts toward supervision, coordination, complex judgment, relationship work and exception handling.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• activity 
• employment 
• energy 
• industry 
• job 

When To Use

What are other ways to say labor?

Labor refers to mental or physical work, especially that which is hard or fatiguing. When should you use labor instead of work, drudgery, or toil? Find out on Thesaurus.com.