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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of labor
Thomas H. Ruggie, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Albertsons is facing labor strife in at least four other states.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 25 June 2025
Ryan Krogh, Outside Online, 3 June 2025
But those flashes were quickly overshadowed by an offense that labored into a standstill, isolation-heavy, drive-and-kick scheme that took what the defense offered rather than dictated its own course of action.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for labor
Noun
These costs typically include labor, chemicals and other necessary services for drilling—expenses that can be deducted immediately.
—Thomas H. Ruggie, Forbes.com, 25 June 2025
Albertsons is facing labor strife in at least four other states.
—Mike Snider, USA Today, 25 June 2025
Verb
Maui, Hawaii Why now: Since wildfires ravaged the island in the summer of 2023, Maui has labored mightily to recover.
—Ryan Krogh, Outside Online, 3 June 2025
But those flashes were quickly overshadowed by an offense that labored into a standstill, isolation-heavy, drive-and-kick scheme that took what the defense offered rather than dictated its own course of action.
—Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for labor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for labor
Noun
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The letter said that the Senate’s version of the bill would cut more than $4 billion in Medicaid funding, with a loss of more than 16,000 jobs.—
Miriam Waldvogel,
The Hill,
29 June 2025
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Each job brought a new environment with different obstacles and new problems to solve.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
29 June 2025
Noun
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Napheesa Collier returned with a 26-point, seven-rebound, six-assist effort, including a couple huge baskets in overtime and the Lynx scored 10 of the final 12 points to win 96-92 in Atlanta.—
Mike Cook,
Twin Cities,
28 June 2025
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Botswana is also investing in mitigation efforts by phasing out hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and promoting various energy efficiency measures.—
Kyle Roderick,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
Noun
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More than a decade of physical and mental toil has caught up with me.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 June 2025
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The pictures, which were taken in twenty-six countries, cover an exotic range of human endeavors, including the production of perfume in Réunion, the quelling of the Kuwaiti oil fires, and, most famously, the toils of gold miners in Serra Pelada, Brazil.—
Chris Wiley,
New Yorker,
31 May 2025
Noun
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Four things women’s bodies do exceptionally well Pain tolerance: Human bodies endure all kinds of pain — from menstrual cramps and childbirth to back injuries and broken bones.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 June 2025
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Fearing immigration enforcement, undocumented parents will avoid hospitals for childbirth, dramatically escalating medical risk for mother and baby.—
James Thomas Snyder,
Mercury News,
24 May 2025
Noun
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However, voters weren’t enthusiastic about losing green tax credits, opposing the end of consumer credits for electric vehicle purchases, and business credits for wind, solar, and nuclear energy production.—
Kelly Phillips Erb,
Forbes.com,
5 July 2025
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Because of this, many folks will accidentally prune away flower buds in winter, resulting in poor flower production come summer.—
Dr. Nick Goltz,
Hartford Courant,
5 July 2025
Verb
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However, San Jose has struggled to keep pace, with the city failing to see a single construction start last year for market-rate multi-family developments over 20 units, making the Pleasant Hills project a potential bonus should it be constructed.—
Devan Patel,
Mercury News,
28 June 2025
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On offense, the Red Sox have predictably struggled without Devers’ bat in the lineup.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
Noun
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The variant has similar symptoms to other strains, including fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, sore throat, congestion or a runny nose, new loss of taste or smell, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, nausea or vomiting.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
28 June 2025
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These included headaches, hand pain, forearm pain, nerve damage in his left elbow, fatigue, decreased stamina and erectile dysfunction, according to the lawsuit.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
27 June 2025
Noun
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Our healing, life-changing work would not have been possible without the wisdom of our 60-plus-person Braintrust.—
Asha Bandele,
Essence,
25 June 2025
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The physical, mental, and emotional work required of DSPs does not equal the current median pay rate and is ultimately contributing to employee burnout and turnover.—
Brian Cusack,
Boston Herald,
25 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Labor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/labor. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
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