belabors

verb

present tense third-person singular of belabor
1
as in emphasizes
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 attacks
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 licks
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 belabors There are a few lumpy patches, moments when the revision over-explains itself or belabors a point. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belabors
  1. emphasizes
  2. attacks
  3. licks
  4. stresses
  5. slams
  6. hides
  7. scolds
  8. pounds
Verb
  • The advice emphasizes the importance of sleep, limited screen time and up-to-date vaccinations, according to a community announcement.
    — Gabby Sartori, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
  • So far, even the secretary’s Make America Healthy Again movement — which emphasizes poor diet as a main driver of chronic disease — has done little to assuage dietitians’ deeply rooted troubles.
    — Lauren Chan, STAT, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of emphasizes
Verb
  • In humans, the rabies virus, transmitted in the saliva of an infected animal, is a serious and fatal disease that attacks the central nervous system.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • The hydrogen peroxide treatment then attacks the remaining dye-cotton linkages and removes residual color.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of attacks
Verb
  • That glib self-confidence is present in McNamara, who licks the doughnut glaze off his fingers before offering his hand to the female detective questioning the one living Jason.
    — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Later, a woman protractedly licks blue ice cream from a cone, her attempts thwarted by ferocious gusts of wind and sand.
    — Matilda Hague, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of licks
Verb
  • The report stresses how Kansas City is a relatively small sports market compared to the rest of the country.
    — Melanie Anzidei, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • This test places stresses on the edge far beyond typical EDC tasks.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of stresses
Verb
  • In one of the most memorable panels in superherocomic history, Bane, having beaten Batman down in his own Batcave, lifts the hero over his head and slams him down over his knee, breaking his back.
    — Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Robin Williams' daughter slams AI videos of her father, urges fans to 'stop doing this'Need a news break?
    — Sameen Chaudhry, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of slams
Verb
  • Its privacy protection hides user data from trackers and activity analyzers.
    — StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Under the guise of paying homage to the bouquet of flowers his grandmother crocheted for his sister on her wedding day, Joseph added a matching purple bouquet which conveniently hides the super long crotch.
    — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of hides
Verb
  • Some intergenerational sparring ensues, as Kevin scolds Arthur for his more outré boomer comments, and Arthur in turn sneers at his grandson’s millennial lameness.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 19 Aug. 2026
  • The audience screams in response, and Scovel scolds them again but this time with a smile.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of scolds
Verb
  • Part of the problem is that every summer, water pounds down on sidewalks in the Treasure Valley, drops rippling on glassy reflective surfaces, all because of sprinkler jets overshooting the grass and landing on pavement.
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Ukraine pounds Russia with long-range strikes At the same time, Ukraine has shifted the war onto Russian soil through long-range drone strikes on oil facilities that have caused fuel shortages across Russia.
    — Volodymyr Yurchuk, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of pounds

Browse Nearby Words

belaboring
belabors
belated
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Belabors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belabors. Accessed 9 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stigma

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All