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
Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Gibbs’ hour has been a labor of love three years in the making.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
Denise Chow, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2025
Witkoff, who has labored on Middle East diplomacy since January alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, persuaded Kushner to lend a hand.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for labor
Noun
Caring for two senior dogs quickly became a labor of love.
—Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Gibbs’ hour has been a labor of love three years in the making.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
Workers who labor outdoors, people with pre-existing medical conditions and the elderly are also at higher risk.
—Denise Chow, NBC news, 11 Oct. 2025
Witkoff, who has labored on Middle East diplomacy since January alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio, persuaded Kushner to lend a hand.
—Eric Cortellessa, Time, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for labor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for labor
Noun
-
While on his jobs, Colter often has close calls with law enforcement, leading Reenie, a lawyer, to swoop in and save the day.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
-
And most of these jobs don’t require a computer science degree or even coding skills.—
Kim Komando The Kim Komando Show,
FOXNews.com,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Smaller efforts popped up in Greenland over the years, but nothing came to fruition.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
22 Oct. 2025
-
Supporting the Army’s next phase The M-SHORAD Increment 4 effort is a major part of the Army’s broader modernization strategy.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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How Tielemans overcame early toils is often used as a source of encouragement by new additions who seem peripheral at first.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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But to borrow Manidis’s framework, the drive to create such a tool conflates useless toil with meaningful labor.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
How Superstitions Impact Modern Life and Pregnacy Pregnancy and childbirth are major life changes, and with that may come feelings of nervousness, excitement, even fear—and some of these feelings could present themselves as superstitions.—
Kara Nesvig,
Parents,
23 Oct. 2025
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The maternity concierge serves as a liaison, guiding expectant parents through the multifaceted stages of pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period, alleviating anxiety and stress while assisting families in navigating the journey.—
MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center,
Oc Register,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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China is the undisputed leader of the critical minerals supply chain, accounting for roughly 60% of the world's production of rare earth minerals and materials.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
21 Oct. 2025
-
Other industries included buildings services, landscaping, crop production and working in private homes.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
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According to Edwards, Brooke deliberately portrayed Arabella as struggling to adapt to her new home and her Canadian identity.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
18 Oct. 2025
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As the team struggles with grief, Sharon decides to pull Station 42 off active duty entirely, rather than assign a new captain.—
Alamin Yohannes,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Regardless of the scheduling headache, there's still no indication the funding bill would pass, unless Republicans and Democrats can strike a deal on health care.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
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In the year before his death, Thomas had been struggling with his mental health, as well as daily headaches and memory loss, his parents said at the time.—
Natasha Dye,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Hernández writes that the industrialization and nationalization of the economy in the late nineteenth century meant that large numbers of men were frequently thrown out of work.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
21 Oct. 2025
-
How will the safe sleep lot work?—
Grace Tucker,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Labor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/labor. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.
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