1
as in emphasizing
to speak or write about insistently and usually tiresomely
stop belaboring the fact that they're already in debt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in attacking
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 licking
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 belaboring
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
The civil trial between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively has been postponed for two months, belaboring an already laborious process.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
Brittany Allen, Literary Hub, 19 Feb. 2026
The civil trial between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively has been postponed for two months, belaboring an already laborious process.
—Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belaboring
Verb
-
Heat president Pat Riley made that clear during his annual season-ending news conference on Monday at Kaseya Center, emphasizing his disdain toward tanking for a top draft pick.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Fifteen other states, including Iowa and Missouri, filed a brief emphasizing the importance of preserving access to affordable glyphosate.—
Christiana Freitag,
Chicago Tribune,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Winger Xavi Simons’ anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury will keep him out for some time, with striker Dominic Solanke also pulling up — albeit his ailment appears less serious — at Molineux to cast doubt over Spurs’ attacking firepower in the upcoming weeks.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
He was also found guilty of two counts of assault for attacking two other men with butcher knives.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But host Kristen Kish is licking her lips at the prospect of taking the show even further afield in the future.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
-
At the film’s start, Anne Hathaway’s Andy Sachs is now an award-winning journalist, licking her wounds from a recent layoff.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
1 May 2026
Verb
-
Specific tests included picking up and stressing the laptops to check for build quality and flex, and carrying them in laptop backpacks to check weight and portability.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
4 May 2026
-
Pure lunacy — and now stressing out students with crashes of a computer system.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
Verb
-
First, as the Florida ACLU’s Howard Simon points out, Uthmeier is not scolding another branch of government.—
Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board,
The Orlando Sentinel,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Security guard Pascal Duvier, most recently infamous for allegedly scolding 11-year-old Ada Law at a hotel in São Paulo, is clearing the air.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
From tracking down a missing student in the wilderness of British Columbia to extracting a murder confession from a surfer in Tofino, Shade and Angie prove life on the West Coast is packed with heart-pounding thrills.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
-
But Ragans shook off the damage and kept pounding the strike zone.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
26 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The world’s second largest economy has been relatively insulated from the historic global oil crisis slamming its neighbors – including key regional US allies – due to China’s huge oil reserves, its high level of energy self-sufficiency and its early shift to green energy.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
-
Stewart’s critics have been slamming her, saying there was a pattern of favoritism at city hall during her 12-year tenure.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Not long after, the White House began lashing out at Democrats and the media over the shooting.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
-
On his last day before he’s scheduled to ride off on his motorcycle for a three-month sabbatical that’s only barely disguising his suicidal ideation, Robby spends his final shift lashing out at his co-workers.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Belaboring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belaboring. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
