laborer

noun

ˈlā-bər-ər How to pronounce laborer (audio)
Definition of laborernext
as in worker
a person who does very hard or dull work they could only find work as laborers unloading cargo ships

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 laborer Zarmina, whose husband is a day laborer from Logar province, says Fatma was initially admitted to a hospital in Logar, along with three of her other four children. — ABC News, 4 Oct. 2026 Meanwhile, $12 million will go to a fund supporting out-of-work entertainment industry laborers. — Daysia Tolentino, Entertainment Weekly, 2 Oct. 2026 Without fiefdoms structuring the distribution of land, the division of labor, and the provision of military protection, agents of state coercion were needed to ensure that former serfs would serve as wage laborers. — Sophie Landres, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026 Like most aggies, Coover’s self-conception is more small-business owner than laborer. — Kyle Paoletta, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for laborer
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laborer
  1. worker
  2. slave
Noun
  • The program could also be targeted rather than universal — triggered by sector-specific unemployment spikes, income level, or geography, so the money flows first to the workers AI disrupts most.
    — Sarah Cannon, Fortune, 18 Oct. 2026
  • At least six families said health workers visited only after a child had died from measles in their community.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of worker
Noun
  • Black public figures mingle with slave forts and the most vaunted creations of high art.
    — Carolina A. Miranda, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Also a list of the true names and addresses of all former slaves, along with their actual occupations and 1858 yearly incomes, which, surprising no one, were right on par with the incomes of similar whites.
    — George Saunders, New Yorker, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of slave

Browse Nearby Words

labored
laborer
laborers
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Laborer.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laborer. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of puissant

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Oct. 23

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All