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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Recent Examples of laborers
Miners, railroad workers, factory hands, and laborers were the engine of this expansion, and this crowd was tough on clothes.
—
Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 May 2026
Many were Indigenous seasonal laborers who came from poor, remote mountain villages with low vaccination rates.
—Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 17 May 2026
The Hispanic community makes up half of Yakima County’s population, a legacy that began when laborers from Mexico were brought in during World War II to fill farm jobs.
—Vivian Chung, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2026
The roughly 1,000 Bandanese who survived were enslaved alongside other laborers under the perkenier system, where hundreds of workers toiled on each plantation (in Dutch, perk).
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 14 May 2026
The region has some of the world’s longest working hours, with laborers there often clocking more than 2,000 hours a year compared to around 1,700 in the US, and close to 1,400 in Germany.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 8 May 2026
Charlotte doesn’t have nearly enough skilled laborers to meet the demand for future transportation projects, according to a report presented at a City Council committee meeting on Monday.
—Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026
At first, foreign students lived there; from the 1980s onward, Vietnamese contract workers moved in, alongside smaller groups of Mozambican, Cuban, and Angolan laborers during the GDR period.
—Pablo Larios, Artforum, 6 May 2026
The idea goes back decades, to when Zadikian was working in Iran with art dealer Tony Shafrazi and became fixated on the way laborers stacked clay bricks, repeating the same gesture over and over until something larger took shape.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 4 May 2026
Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 18 May 2026
Many were Indigenous seasonal laborers who came from poor, remote mountain villages with low vaccination rates.
—Mary Beth Sheridan, CNN Money, 17 May 2026
The Hispanic community makes up half of Yakima County’s population, a legacy that began when laborers from Mexico were brought in during World War II to fill farm jobs.
—Vivian Chung, Travel + Leisure, 14 May 2026
The roughly 1,000 Bandanese who survived were enslaved alongside other laborers under the perkenier system, where hundreds of workers toiled on each plantation (in Dutch, perk).
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 14 May 2026
The region has some of the world’s longest working hours, with laborers there often clocking more than 2,000 hours a year compared to around 1,700 in the US, and close to 1,400 in Germany.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 8 May 2026
Charlotte doesn’t have nearly enough skilled laborers to meet the demand for future transportation projects, according to a report presented at a City Council committee meeting on Monday.
—Charlotte Observer, 6 May 2026
At first, foreign students lived there; from the 1980s onward, Vietnamese contract workers moved in, alongside smaller groups of Mozambican, Cuban, and Angolan laborers during the GDR period.
—Pablo Larios, Artforum, 6 May 2026
The idea goes back decades, to when Zadikian was working in Iran with art dealer Tony Shafrazi and became fixated on the way laborers stacked clay bricks, repeating the same gesture over and over until something larger took shape.
—Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 4 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laborers
Noun
-
While teachers unions have gotten the most attention, the law also affects many other public sector unions, including those that represent bus drivers, janitors, cafeteria workers and maintenance workers.—
Scott Travis,
Sun Sentinel,
24 May 2026
-
As workers and retirees decide where to live, states that have low tax and regulatory burdens, targeted relief, and stronger budget discipline tend to gain residents, income, and reduce costs for families.—
Nicole Huyer,
The Orlando Sentinel,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
Lewis grew up in Freetown, a farming community established by former slaves in central Virginia.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
17 May 2026
-
Cimafunk’s stage name is a nod to his ancestral cimarrón culture; during Cuba’s colonial period, escaped slaves formed autonomous communities.—
Bill Kopp,
SPIN,
13 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Laborers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laborers. Accessed 25 May. 2026.
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