day laborer

noun

: one who works for daily wages especially as an unskilled laborer

Examples of day laborer in a Sentence

They hire day laborers to pick the apples.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
To this day, most of its musicians are current or former day laborers, and work closely with the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, using music to help mobilize immigrant workers. Adrian Florido, NPR, 16 Apr. 2026 Salvador Reza is a longtime organizer of Latino communities and day laborers who regularly attends meetings related to the settlement. Rafael Carranza, ProPublica, 26 Mar. 2026 In the camp, locals work as day laborers or panhandle on nearby Story Road. Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 26 Mar. 2026 In one incident, Bovino's agents popped out of a rental truck in a Home Depot parking lot to arrest day laborers. Julia Ainsley, NBC news, 16 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for day laborer

Word History

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of day laborer was in 1528

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Cite this Entry

“Day laborer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/day%20laborer. Accessed 26 Apr. 2026.

Kids Definition

day laborer

noun
: one who works by the day or for daily wages especially as an unskilled laborer
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