labor force
Americannoun
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labor forces
plural
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(in the United States) the body of people who are at least 16 years old and are either employed or available for employment.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of labor force
First recorded in 1880–85
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.
As an American, as an artist and as a former member of its labor force, I understand that the Kennedy Center is more than a building.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
“The changing composition of the labor force has exerted significant downward pressure on the unemployment rate,” the ECB said earlier this year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
A total of 39.1% of workers in the civilian labor force hold such jobs, the BLS said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
The companies themselves relentlessly pitch A.I. integration to the moneymen at the top of service corporations, explaining that their bots will be able to cut out or reduce a pesky and expensive labor force.
From Salon ● Sep. 12, 2026
Before 1919 was over, in an unprecedented demonstration of labor unrest, there would be thirty-six hundred work stoppages involving four million workers or one-fifth of the nation’s labor force.
From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler
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.
