overlabor

verb

over·​la·​bor ˌō-vər-ˈlā-bər How to pronounce overlabor (audio)
variants US overlabor or British overlabour
overlabored; overlaboring

transitive verb

1
: to cause (someone) to labor excessively
shouldn't overlabor young children
2
: to explain or insist on (something) excessively : belabor
overlabored the point
3
: to make (something) too elaborate : overelaborate
… meticulously overlabors every dish …Joshua Gillin
overlabored adjective
(US) or British overlaboured
overlabored jokes
How about staffing our overlabored Public Works to keep abreast of broken streets and alleys. Tim Grobaty
… meals … so laden with overlabored fuss that they often felt contrived. Craig LaBan

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1530, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of overlabor was circa 1530

Dictionary Entries Near overlabor

Cite this Entry

“Overlabor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overlabor. Accessed 2 Dec. 2024.

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