laboured
Britishadjective
-
(of breathing) performed with difficulty
-
showing effort; contrived; lacking grace or fluency
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
Scotland just could not get themselves into Italian territory often enough, laboured running hampered by mistake after mistake.
From BBC • Feb. 7, 2026
Against England at Pallekele last week, he laboured to 11 off 12 balls before being dismissed by Adil Rashid.
From Barron's • Feb. 2, 2026
Keys, who upset Aryna Sabalenka in last year's final, admitted after her laboured first-round win that she was a bundle of nerves and "too timid".
From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026
He laboured under the fatal impression that he had time to deliver his vision and that he deserved patience.
From BBC • Jan. 5, 2026
He was just settling himself to begin when the clock struck six, whereupon he laboured to get up, and said:—
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
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.
