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
John Debary, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Sep. 2025
But by now the conversations have broadened – and this year's conference focused particularly on multifamily, GSEs, labor and land.
—Diana Olick, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
Michael Santoli, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2025
Its investments have focused on task-specific robotics like mobile carts, pick-and-place arms, and automated sorters, with a robot fleet one-million strong laboring in its warehouses as of June.
—Drew Bernstein, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for labor
Noun
Often the beverage staff invests a significant amount of unseen labor in developing the expertise needed to sell pricey wine, and the bill reflects more than simply the cost of goods.
—John Debary, Bon Appetit Magazine, 16 Sep. 2025
But by now the conversations have broadened – and this year's conference focused particularly on multifamily, GSEs, labor and land.
—Diana Olick, CNBC, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
Wall Street economists are fixated on identifying tariff effects, yet stocks either celebrated or shrugged off three warm and sticky inflation readings this week, laboring to hold near record highs.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2025
Its investments have focused on task-specific robotics like mobile carts, pick-and-place arms, and automated sorters, with a robot fleet one-million strong laboring in its warehouses as of June.
—Drew Bernstein, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for labor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for labor
Noun
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Many have been fired from their jobs, disciplined, or publicly shamed for criticizing the conservative commentator.—
Ross O'Keefe,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Google began dropping degree requirements for a wide range of jobs in 2024, shifting focus to proof of skills and real-world projects.—
Sarah Hernholm,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Republicans were unfazed by Democrats threatening to withhold their votes, accusing them of hypocrisy for condemning GOP efforts to win policy concessions in past funding battles.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
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Jackie Young made 4-of-6 from the 3-point line as part of her efforts, finishing with 18 points, seven assists, and three steals, with Jewell Loyd (14 points) and Dana Evans (13 points) contributing well off the bench.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In a talent market where burnout is high and retention is difficult, offering developers tools that amplify their creativity and reduce toil is a competitive advantage.—
Paul Kovalenko,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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The film is trying quite hard to be a bracing and immersive depiction of rehabilitation’s hard toil.—
Richard Lawson,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In some Michigan counties, Medicaid covers more than half of all childbirths.—
Kristen Jordan Shamus,
Freep.com,
8 Sep. 2025
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Hailey died from childbirth complications moments after welcoming the couple’s first baby.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
2 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Amplifying the glaring lack of run production was Early’s second gem in as many career games in the majors.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
17 Sep. 2025
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By most estimates, Li said, China controls more than half of global EV manufacturing, 70 percent of wind turbine production and 80 percent of PV solar panel production.—
Jeff Young,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Traditional data lakes can store raw data at scale but lack quality controls, while warehouses enforce structure but struggle with unstructured or fast changing data.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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Almost half of those who abided by boundaries (45%) reported low burnout, compared to 6% of those who struggled to do so.—
Samantha Dewalt,
Fortune,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In a recent study by Climate Rights International, workers spoke of experiencing excessive sweating, headaches, fever, nausea, heat palpitations, dehydration and temporary vision loss.—
Jasmin Malik Chua,
Sourcing Journal,
10 Sep. 2025
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Soldiers reported headaches and nausea, leading Congress to cut funding in 2022.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
And the handle took a lot of work.—
Megan McIntyre,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
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Norman's posts on social media, which primarily focused on community policing work, drew enough attention that in 2021 then-President Joe Biden awarded Norman and 15 others the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
15 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Labor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/labor. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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