labor pains
Americanplural noun
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pain experienced as a result of uterine contractions during childbirth.
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difficulties, problems, or setbacks encountered during the initial phase of a business or project.
Etymology
Origin of labor pains
First recorded in 1745–55
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.
The announcement is given just as labor pains announce the imminent birth of her next child.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
At first, she brushed it off as Braxton Hicks, false labor pains not uncommon in the late stages of pregnancy.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 6, 2023
On the bus behind her, set to arrive the next day, sat a pregnant woman who had been experiencing labor pains and a teenager with a disability that had left him unable to walk.
From Washington Post • Apr. 15, 2023
As first reported by The State, the woman sought medical care associated with labor pains in October 2021, according to the police report, which was obtained and posted online by Jezebel.
From Salon • Mar. 7, 2023
On the afternoon that Lucia’s labor pains started, Sissy went home and got into bed.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
