- a variation of labor.
labour
Americannoun
noun
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productive work, esp physical toil done for wages
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the people, class, or workers involved in this, esp in contrast to management, capital, etc
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( as modifier )
a labour dispute
labour relations
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difficult or arduous work or effort
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( in combination )
labour-saving
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a particular job or task, esp of a difficult nature
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the process or effort of childbirth or the time during which this takes place
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( as modifier )
labour pains
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something done for pleasure rather than gain
verb
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(intr) to perform labour; work
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(intr; foll by for, etc) to strive or work hard (for something)
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to be burdened (by) or be at a disadvantage (because of)
to labour under a misapprehension
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(intr) to make one's way with difficulty
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(tr) to deal with or treat too persistently
to labour a point
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(intr) (of a woman) to be in labour
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(intr) (of a ship) to pitch and toss
Spelling
See -or 1.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of labour
C13: via Old French from Latin labor; perhaps related to lābī to fall
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 World Bank estimated in 2023 there were up to 435 million online gig workers around the globe who had largely fallen outside regular labour protections.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
Average workers have “no direct control over how the fruits of their labour are spent” until July 22, Molinari says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Service industry - or "white collar" jobs - take a larger share of the economy and there has been a decline in traditional manufacturing and other "blue collar" work such as manual labour.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
At the same time, labour advocates worry that technological advances can have an impact on employment numbers.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
Instead, they bought loaves of sugar that carried a label that said, “Produced by the labour of FREEMEN”—the sugar came from India.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
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.
