1
as in job
a dull, unpleasant, or difficult piece of work
one of the labors of Hercules in classical mythology was to clean out the stables of King Augeas
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in effort
the active use of energy in producing a result
a superhuman amount of labor must have gone into designing and building the pyramids of Egypt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in toil
very hard or unpleasant work
a political dissident forced to do six months of hard labor in the salt mines as punishment
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4
as in childbirth
the act or process of giving birth to children
the mother's labor lasted for six hours
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5
as in production
something produced by physical or intellectual effort
a small, personal film that was clearly a labor of love for the director and actors
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as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
the young lawyer labored most of the weekend over the difficult legal brief
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of labor
Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
But the toll that these systems take on the natural environment – and on the people whose labor ensures their success – presents a dramatically different picture.
—Sonja Fritzsche, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2025
Its investments have focused on task-specific robotics like mobile carts, pick-and-place arms, and automated sorters, with a robot fleet one-million strong laboring in its warehouses as of June.
—Drew Bernstein, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for labor
Noun
Yampolskiy warned joblessness will hit an all-time high in the next five years as all human work, including manual labor, is replaced by humanoid robots and AI agents.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
But the toll that these systems take on the natural environment – and on the people whose labor ensures their success – presents a dramatically different picture.
—Sonja Fritzsche, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
Wall Street economists are fixated on identifying tariff effects, yet stocks either celebrated or shrugged off three warm and sticky inflation readings this week, laboring to hold near record highs.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2025
Its investments have focused on task-specific robotics like mobile carts, pick-and-place arms, and automated sorters, with a robot fleet one-million strong laboring in its warehouses as of June.
—Drew Bernstein, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for labor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for labor
Noun
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Duncan Wanblad, chief executive of Anglo, will take the top job and Anglo Teck while Teck’s chief executive Jonathan Price, will be his deputy.—
Tim Treadgold,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
That’s when Billy Napier accepted the Florida job.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The merging of the modern and traditional is an effort to help people find God in a new way, said Reverend Jason Roberson, the head priest at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, and to mark the church’s entry into a new century.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
10 Sep. 2025
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With the sandboxing proposal, companies could identify regulations that are obstructing their efforts, and ask for a waiver.—
Emily Wilkins,
CNBC,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Lit Witches Double, double, toil and trouble!—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
5 Sep. 2025
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Play gives you everything — including a new kind of toil all its own.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Hailey died from childbirth complications moments after welcoming the couple’s first baby.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
2 Sep. 2025
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Turlington founded Every Mother Counts in 2010, after experiencing her own complications with childbirth.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Seconds after the anchors thanked Pulte for appearing and handed things off to Squawk on the Street, the production crew were tearing down the set and prepping for the opening bell.—
Alex Weprin,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Sep. 2025
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Butler is best known for co-founding Cultivate Entertainment Partners, a management and production company launched to champion underrepresented voices in the BIPOC and international creative communities.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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After struggling in the first half, running back Jerrod Wiley got loose on an untouched 69-yard touchdown run on the first play of the next drive to put Heritage back up two scores at 30-21.—
Jordan Neal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Sep. 2025
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An ugly sweep at the hands of the Pittsburgh Pirates sunk their struggling offense to new depths and at least temporarily removed Will Smith from the equation.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The fight over transit funding is just one part of a bigger headache—Pennsylvania’s budget is more than nine weeks late.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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Symptoms of Chagas disease include fever, fatigue, body aches, headache, rash, loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, and eyelid swelling.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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At work, prioritize diverse, representative, ethical datasets while investing in continuous learning for both AI and human literacy.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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His work is recognized for rejecting straight lines in favor of rounded, continuous forms and for being approachable yet full of personality.—
Elizabeth Fogarty,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Labor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/labor. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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