labor

American  

[lay-ber] / ˈleɪ bər /

especially British, labour

noun

• labors
  plural

1. productive activity, especially for the sake of economic gain.

   Antonyms:

   rest, leisure, idleness

2. the body of persons engaged in such activity, especially those working for wages.

   Synonyms:

   working class

3. this body of persons considered as a class (distinguished from management andcapital ).

4. physical or mental work, especially of a hard or fatiguing kind; toil.

   Synonyms:

   exertion

   Antonyms:

   rest, leisure, idleness

5. a job or task done or to be done.

6. the physical effort and periodic uterine contractions of childbirth.

   Synonyms:

   delivery, parturition

7. the interval from the onset of these contractions to childbirth.

8. Also called Labor Department. Informal. Labor. the Department of Labor.

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verb (used without object)

• labors,
  present (3rd person singular)
• labored,
  past participle,  past
• laboring
  present participle

1. to perform labor; exert one's powers of body or mind; work; toil.

   Synonyms:

   drudge

   Antonyms:

   rest

2. to strive, as toward a goal; work hard (often followed byfor ).

   to labor for peace.

3. to act, behave, or function at a disadvantage (usually followed byunder ).

   to labor under a misapprehension.

4. to be in the actual process of giving birth.

5. to roll or pitch heavily, as a ship.

verb (used with object)

• labors,
  present (3rd person singular)
• labored,
  past participle,  past
• laboring
  present participle

1. to develop or dwell on in excessive detail.

   Don't labor the point.

   Synonyms:

   overdo, belabor

2. to burden or tire.

   to labor the reader with unnecessary detail.

3. British Dialect. to work or till (soil or the like).

adjective

1. of or relating to workers, their associations, or working conditions.

   labor reforms.

labor British  

/ ˈleɪbə /

verb

1. the US spelling of labour

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labor Scientific  

/ lā′bər /

1. The process by which the birth of a mammal occurs, beginning with contractions of the uterus and ending with the expulsion of the fetus and the placenta.

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labor Cultural  

1. The physical processes at the end of a normal pregnancy, including opening of the cervix and contractions of the uterus, that lead to the birth of the baby.

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Usage

What are other ways to say labor? Labor refers to mental or physical work, especially that which is hard or fatiguing. When should you use labor instead of work, drudgery, or toil? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prelabor
  noun
• outlabor
  verb (used with object)
• overlabor
  verb (used with object)
• antilabor
  adjective
• laborless
  adjective
• nonlabor
  adjective
• prolabor
  adjective
• unlaboring
  adjective
• laboringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• labors
  plural

Participles

• laboring
  present
• labored
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• labor
  simple
• labors
  simple
• have labored
  perfect
• has labored
  perfect
• am laboring
  progressive
• are laboring
  progressive
• is laboring
  progressive
• have been laboring
  perfect progressive
• has been laboring
  perfect progressive

Past

• labored
  simple
• had labored
  perfect
• was laboring
  progressive
• were laboring
  progressive
• had been laboring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will labor
  simple
• will have labored
  perfect
• will be laboring
  progressive
• will have been laboring
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of labor

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English labour, from Old French, from Latin labōr- (stem of labor ) “work”

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Explanation

Although the word labor seems to suggest tough, physical work that makes you sweat, any type of work, whether physical or mental, can be considered labor. Labor is usually associated with very hard, physical work, suggesting fatigue and aching muscles. In fact, a woman giving birth is said to be in labor, giving true meaning to the phrase "labor of love." The word can also be used as a verb, as in "He had to labor many years to pay off his debt." That sense of hard work fits in with the Labor Party of some nations, a party generally favored by and supporting the working class.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

labor labors labored laboring

Builders warn that the labor drain is stalling supply and worsening nationwide housing affordability challenges.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Technologists envision a future where robots can supplement a declining labor force caused by shifting demographics, and spare humans from dangerous and dirty work.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

Other unions have been decidedly cool to the measure, leading to a nasty outbreak of finger-pointing within the state’s organized labor ranks, as my colleagues Seema Mehta, Nicole Nixon and Taryn Luna reported.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Somali-Americans have higher than average rates of labor participation and contribute an estimated $8 billion a year to Minnesota’s economy alone.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

I was in line at the labor department early.

From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron

Xavier Becerra, the Democratic candidate for California governor spoke briefly, thanking union members for their daily labors and campaign support.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026

“I don’t like using the word ‘bucket list,’ but all these things are labors of love,” Hoffs says.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

At Schaeffler, Digit labors alone inside a Plexiglas cage, moving baskets for four hours, recharging over lunch, then going again for another four hours.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026

Most weeks, this column labors to avoid sentimentality.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025

“Poor? Did I hear poor? When the dollars are literally flowing into this home from my labors? And flowing out even more rapidly.”

From "A Confederacy of Dunces" by John Kennedy Toole

With the Dodgers’ lead cut to one run, Skubal labored through the rest of the sixth inning, issuing a pair of walks, his first of the game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

The noise of backhoes, cranes and bulldozers echoed across Colombia's quake-hit cities on Sunday as workers labored to remove rubble, though the chance of finding survivors was slim a week after the disaster.

From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026

Her brother had labored to secure White House approval for the bill.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026

Last Thanksgiving, Megan Thee Stallion labored for days to prepare an elaborate holiday dinner for then-boyfriend Klay Thompson and his family.

From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2026

It’s not long, though, before my breathing grows labored.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

That, plus his aversion to economic ideology, helped craft a reputation for the Fed as an independent, technocratic institution laboring to do a good job for the American people.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

One minute, she’d been in the bathroom, laboring through a contraction.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026

Spirit has been laboring to emerge from its second trip to bankruptcy in less than a year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

Montiel, 62, said Chavez’s legacy continues to reverberate as the union has pushed for improved working conditions for people laboring in extreme heat, at times without adequate breaks or water.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026

Even while laboring in the fields she could always stop to smell the flowers, look up at the clouds, feel the cool air drifting out from the trees.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

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