definitions

labor of love

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noun

work done for the sake of one's own enjoyment or of benefit to others rather than for material rewards: He coached amateur baseball teams as a labor of love.

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RELATED WORDS

courtesy, mitzvah

Nearby words

labor camp, labor day, labor force, labor market, labor movement, labor of love, labor omnia vincit, labor pains, labor party, labor relations, labor spy

Origin of labor of love

First recorded in 1665–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Idioms and Phrases with labor of love

labor of love

Work done for one's satisfaction rather than monetary reward. For example, The research took three years but it was a labor of love. This expression appears twice in the New Testament (Hebrews 6:10, Thessalonians 1:3), referring to those who do God's work as a labor of love. [c. 1600]

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