labor of love

American  

noun

1. 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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labor of love Idioms  

1. 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]

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Etymology

Origin of labor of love

First recorded in 1665–75

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

labor of love

At its best, “The Ark” underscores why humanity has always been enamored with the animal kingdom, and reminds us that our stewardship of it should be a labor of love.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

“It’s going be a labor of love to rebuild the newspaper and we hope that by doing so, we can speed up the recovery of Pacific Palisades.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2026

"For all of us it's a labor of love," declared JPMorgan Chief Executive Jamie Dimon just before the symbolic ribbon-cutting at the building referred to as "270" for its address at 270 Park Avenue.

From Barron's ● Oct. 21, 2025

Morello's post said putting the event together was "over a year of hard work but heavy metal was the music that made me love music and it was a labor of love."

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2025

The lodge had been a labor of love and a project they ran together.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone