division of labor

noun phrase

: the breakdown of labor into its components and their distribution among different persons, groups, or machines to increase productive efficiency

Examples of division of labor in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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In retrospect, Hamas’s decision to stay out of the 2022 confrontation appears to have been a division of labor agreed upon with Islamic Jihad—one that allowed Hamas more freedom to prepare for the October 7 attacks. Leila Seurat, Foreign Affairs, 26 Aug. 2025 To succeed with this model, leaders must invest not only in technology but in upskilling, governance and cross-functional collaboration frameworks that support this new division of labor. Dutt Kalluri, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025 Division of labor The division of labor appeared to be determined by size, with larger orcas acting as strikers, while smaller orcas tended to work as helpers. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2025 Each new challenge is framed as a test of whether the participants could hack it in what we’re supposed to believe is a harder but somehow truer, more rewarding, and—in an assumption about the division of labor that veers disconcertingly close to essentialism—more natural world. Judy Berman, Time, 10 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for division of labor

Word History

First Known Use

1776, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of division of labor was in 1776

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Cite this Entry

“Division of labor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/division%20of%20labor. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.

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