labor
noun
productive activity, especially for the sake of economic gain.
was laboring
-
past progressiveof labor.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Third Street for decades was Santa Monica’s main commercial strip, but by the late 1950s it was laboring to keep up with new regional shopping centers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2024
Soto flashed his arm when he threw out Tomás Nido at the plate to end a second inning that could’ve been worse for starter Patrick Corbin, who was laboring.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 1, 2022
On the way home, he was laboring so hard to breathe he drove straight to the emergency room.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 13, 2022
Emma Coburn of the United States, the bronze medalist at the 2016 Olympics, was laboring when she tumbled after hurdling a barrier.
From New York Times ● Aug. 4, 2021
At the opposite end of the kitchen Mercy, having generously alloted to Kit the primer readers, was laboring with the beginners.
From "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" by Elizabeth George Speare
