belabor

verb

bi-ˈlā-bər How to pronounce belabor (audio)
Definition of belabornext
1
as in to emphasize
to speak or write about insistently and usually tiresomely stop belaboring the fact that they're already in debt

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly there's no need to belabor other people's flaws when you're hardly perfect yourself

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly with a whip he belabored a horse almost to the point of death

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of belabor No need to belabor the point—the emotions are obvious from the music itself. — Joshua Minsoo Kim, Pitchfork, 13 Apr. 2026 As one who's written well for decades about historical guilt and denial, Buruma is too savvy to belabor familiar Nazi horrors. — John Powers, NPR, 2 Apr. 2026 One thing the Ducks won’t have to belabor is the shootout, which gave them a win over the Avs back in January, another over the Calgary Flames on Sunday and seven in seven opportunities overall this season. — Andrew Knoll, Oc Register, 2 Mar. 2026 At risk of belaboring the Wallacaissaince, this is an especially fun conversation for structure nerds and systems heads. — Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for belabor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belabor
  1. emphasize
  2. attack
  3. lick
  4. scold
  5. do
  6. slam
  7. hide
  8. insult
Verb
  • Euthanasia is not the approach NRE Tas plans to take, Thamman emphasized – but the public needs to cooperate to keep themselves and Neil safe.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • Giselle Garcia, program director for NorCal Resist, said the arrest data largely tracks with the organization’s own informal counts though emphasized much enforcement goes unaccounted for if families aren’t willing to speak up.
    — Mathew Miranda July 9, Sacbee.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of emphasize
Verb
  • Spain’s front men are difficult to ignore Despite only one attacking return, Lamine Yamal ($10m) is still Spain’s most exciting fantasy option.
    — Abdul Rehman, New York Times, 14 July 2026
  • The tourist who was attacked by a bison on Friday at Yellowstone National Park is recovering after being flung into the air.
    — Zoe Cummings, Washington Post, 13 July 2026
Definition of attack
Verb
  • As flames licked at the fabric and smoke curled toward the ceiling, an overcapacity crowd of more than 1,800 panicked, rushing for the exits and jamming against doors that opened inward.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 11 July 2026
  • Signs paws have already been burned include limping, refusing to walk, licking or chewing feet, darker or damaged pads and visible blisters or redness.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 9 July 2026
Definition of lick
Verb
  • Remake includes footage of Adrian urging his father to consider Carr’s offer, and gently scolding him for having passed up certain opportunities to make money—money that would have made the family's life better—off his filmmaking acumen.
    — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 10 July 2026
  • In February, a California judge reportedly scolded Meta’s own lawyers for wearing the smart glasses in court.
    — Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 9 July 2026
Definition of scold
Verb
  • The divergence is over whether the worker shortage is improving slowly or still getting worse, and what the Supreme Court should do about it.
    — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 6 July 2026
  • The band is forced into doing take after take in his quest to fully convey his own emotions.
    — Sabrina Reed, Forbes.com, 6 July 2026
Definition of do
Verb
  • The beach hazard statements have been in effect mainly due to the strong southerly swells brought by storms that have been ongoing in the south Pacific, sending waves of energy that slam into the West Coast.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 12 July 2026
  • Prosecutors said Tran thought the truck had cut him off and became angry, catching up in his Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and then pulling in front of it and twice slamming on his brakes.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2026
Definition of slam
Verb
  • What was the thinking behind hiding this information up until the finale?
    — Daniel D'Addario, Variety, 15 July 2026
  • For most of the past century, mathematicians have been exploring the limits of Ramsey theory, the study of order hiding inside chaos—or, more accurately, how much disorder can be packed into a system before order must inevitably emerge.
    — Sam Macdonald, Scientific American, 15 July 2026
Definition of hide
Verb
  • Outside, the guards were often genial and chatty; inside, visitors were treated as objects of suspicion, barked at and insulted.
    — Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 13 July 2026
  • Platner insulted members of the military and belittled Bronze Star winners.
    — Bobby Zirkin, Baltimore Sun, 9 July 2026
Definition of insult

Browse Nearby Words

bejeweled
belabor
belabored
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Cite this Entry

“Belabor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belabor. Accessed 18 Jul. 2026.

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