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.
Especially among younger workers, those with less education are more likely to be missing from the labor force.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
The jobless rate has fallen to 4.1% from 4.4% this year largely because more than 1 million people have left the labor force.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
That list includes everything from design changes during construction to supply-chain challenges that at times idled a huge on-site labor force.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 31, 2026
Friday's figures showed the labor force participation rate -- a key metric -- had dropped to its lowest level since the height of pandemic-related closures.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
It was no better than being condemned to the garment-center labor force.
From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers
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.
