laboured
Britishadjective
-
(of breathing) performed with difficulty
-
showing effort; contrived; lacking grace or fluency
Other Word Forms
- labouredly adverb
- labouredness noun
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.
Firefighters were trying to extinguish the blazes in the still-smoldering rubble, while rescue workers laboured to pull victims from the debris and bulldozers tried to clear a path.
From Barron's • Apr. 8, 2026
Germany's qualification hopes still rest on their final qualification match on Monday at home to Slovakia despite a Nick Woltemade brace giving them a laboured 2-0 win at Luxembourg.
From Barron's • Nov. 14, 2025
Over the last decade Guinea-Bissau has set itself on the path towards the rule of law, but historically has laboured under a succession of coups.
From Barron's • Nov. 1, 2025
In June, England were jeered after a laboured first-half display in the 1-0 win against Andorra, ranked 173rd in the world.
From BBC • Oct. 13, 2025
Wheat didn’t like sharing its space, water and nutrients with other plants, so men and women laboured long days weeding under the scorching sun.
From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari
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.
