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
  • Child Mind Institute guidance on communicating with teenagers emphasizes listening, validating feelings and creating space where kids feel safe speaking up.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Intended to inform fashion, beauty, interiors and other consumer industries, the palette emphasizes shades that can change character through different combinations and materials.
    — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of emphasizes
Verb
  • Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disorder that attacks healthy cells in the central nervous system.
    — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Why Autoimmune Diseases Are Easy to Miss Autoimmune diseases happen when the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues.
    — Emily Kay Votruba, EverydayHealth.com, 13 Oct. 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
  • Riders without their dragons are as good as dead, and vice versa, which stresses the bond between human and beast formed on Threshing Day.
    — Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 15 Oct. 2026
  • But, Rubin stresses, the review process doesn't necessarily stop projects from happening — and that's the point of participating in it.
    — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of stresses
Verb
  • There are currently more than 85,000 customers without power across the Northeast, including New York City and Connecticut, as an intensifying early-season nor’easter slams the region with strong wind, soaking rain and coastal flooding.
    — Rebekah Riess, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Not thunder, not cobwebs, not a door that slams itself for union reasons.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of slams
Verb
  • What isn’t vintage is mostly custom designed by Levin—a wall-to-wall couch with conversation pit vibes, a wooden bed with an attached bench, a thoughtful floating console that hides a TV.
    — Leonora Epstein, Architectural Digest, 14 Oct. 2026
  • On the day of the scavenger hunt, the team hides its creations around town, while ravenous worm-hunters eagerly await their first hint of where a ceramic worm decorated to look like a pickle, or a crayon, or a rainbow dinosaur, can be found.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 12 Oct. 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
  • Higher prices come as Ukraine pounds Russian refineries, forcing Moscow to ban diesel exports.
    — Spencer Kimball, CNBC, 4 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of pounds

Browse Nearby Words

belaboring
belabors
belated
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Cite this Entry

“Belabors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belabors. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

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