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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
-
Each job brought a new environment with different obstacles and new problems to solve.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
29 June 2025
Noun
-
Fighting wildfires has long been a collective effort, with firefighting resources shared among states and even countries.—
Sarah Cutler
June 28,
Idaho Statesman,
28 June 2025
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
This is the strongest sucker and can be left as a secondary shoot for fruit production.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
5 July 2025
Verb
-
On offense, the Red Sox have predictably struggled without Devers’ bat in the lineup.—
Jen McCaffrey,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
-
If the mention of Luxembourg conjures visions of banks, European institutions and a vague whiff of royalty, most people struggle to place the tiny country on a map.—
Joelle Diderich,
Footwear News,
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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The agency ordered Gateway Energy Storage to conduct environmental monitoring whenever the company handles batteries; safely remove, package and dispose of all impacted battery packs; and submit detailed work plans and progress reports to the agency.—
Rob Nikolewski,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 July 2025
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Other recent work has centred on displaying the branding of naming rights partner Hill Dickinson, a local legal firm come good, on the roof.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
7 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Labor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/labor. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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