laborers

noun

plural of laborer
as in workers
a person who does very hard or dull work they could only find work as laborers unloading cargo ships

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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 laborers His articles argued that migrant laborers were essential to California agriculture yet often faced hostility, poverty and unsafe living conditions. — James Ward, USA Today, 10 July 2026 Management balanced multiple factors before choosing the site, prioritizing the regional availability of industrial laborers, logistical links to western power grids, and local economic development programs. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 9 July 2026 In the shrimp ponds, these landless laborers earn only a few dollars a day, with no contracts or protections. — Zakir Hossain Chowdhury, The Dial, 7 July 2026 Duties while at the firehouse included speaking with laborers and subcontractors, ordering supplies and discussions with other Good Neighbor Investors members, Mora recalled. — Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026 Construction laborers rank third, with automation pegged at over $285,000 a year versus a $47,100 wage, roughly six times the cost of just hiring a good old-fashioned meatbag human being. — John Koetsier, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 The director planned to film the killing of a live donkey, which would be cut up for food by actors portraying laborers. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026 At the center sits a giant mound of dirty work clothes, and hidden speakers play a nonstop whisper of the laborers’ names. — Jeff Chu, Travel + Leisure, 6 July 2026 Irish and Scottish laborers moved to the West to work on railroads, while Mexican vaqueros herded cattle on the open range. — Ted Olson, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laborers
  1. workers
  2. slaves
Noun
  • Adopted by the Atlanta City Council this spring, the initiative offers a framework to hold the city accountable for protecting workers’ rights and address the needs of vulnerable populations, among other goals, during World Cup games.
    — DeAsia Paige, AJC.com, 15 July 2026
  • The plaintiffs’ lawyers said in a statement that the lawsuit asks for one thing — preserving the status quo to keep the workers employed pending arbitration.
    — Barbara Ortutay, Fortune, 15 July 2026
Definition of workers
Noun
  • And his version is undeniably meant to speak to us now as well as to avoid some serious turnoffs, such as Odysseus’s boasts about looting and taking slaves.
    — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
  • Notably, this happens after Odysseus slaughters Penelope’s suitors and tells Telemachus to kill the female slaves who have slept with them.
    — Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 17 July 2026
Definition of slaves

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laborer
laborers
labor force
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Cite this Entry

“Laborers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laborers. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on laborers

Nglish: Translation of laborers for Spanish Speakers

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