labour

[ley-ber]

noun

Chiefly British.

1. labor.

labour

/ ˈleɪbə /

noun

1. productive work, esp physical toil done for wages

2. 1. the people, class, or workers involved in this, esp in contrast to management, capital, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a labour dispute

      labour relations

3. 1. difficult or arduous work or effort

   2. ( in combination )

      labour-saving

4. a particular job or task, esp of a difficult nature

5. 1. the process or effort of childbirth or the time during which this takes place

   2. ( as modifier )

      labour pains

6. something done for pleasure rather than gain

verb

1. (intr) to perform labour; work

2. (intr; foll by for, etc) to strive or work hard (for something)

3. to be burdened (by) or be at a disadvantage (because of)

   to labour under a misapprehension

4. (intr) to make one's way with difficulty

5. (tr) to deal with or treat too persistently

   to labour a point

6. (intr) (of a woman) to be in labour

7. (intr) (of a ship) to pitch and toss

Spelling Note

See -or ¹.

Other Word Forms

• antilabour adjective
• labouringly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of labour¹

C13: via Old French from Latin labor; perhaps related to lābī to fall

Example Sentences

There are at least 53 scam compounds in the country where organised criminal groups carry out human trafficking, forced labour, torture, deprivation of liberty and slavery, according to the organisation.

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"In this less dynamic and somewhat softer labour market, the downside risks to employment appear to have risen," said Powell, adding that longer-term inflation expectations remained aligned with the Fed's two-percent goal.

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"The housing market has not yet recovered and the labour market remains weak," Xu added.

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Two scam centres allegedly run by Jin Bei Group and Golden Fortune Resorts were named earlier this year in an Amnesty International report on the use of forced labour and torture in Cambodian scam centres.

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There is no unified definition of a child or child labour in Pakistan, although a federal law prohibits children under the age of 14 from working in unsafe and hazardous environments, such as factories.

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