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
Last January, a three-day raid in Kern County where undocumented laborers were arrested set off panic in the Central Valley and other farming regions with large immigrant workforces.
—
Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
As the sweep unfolded, dozens of laborers moved methodically through the forest’s steep and muddy terrain.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
By design, the responsibility to pay these workers shifted from the employers, who were reluctant to pay Black laborers in the first place, to the whims of the customers.
—Allyson Reedy, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
On the other hand, the nearly $700 billion AI infrastructure build-out has created white-hot demand for skilled laborers.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
To win votes from Southern Democrats, Roosevelt had agreed to deny Social Security to agricultural and domestic laborers—excluding a large percentage of Black workers.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
In August 2022, 10 miners died when the El Pinabete coal mine in Coahuila flooded — a disaster that sparked intense controversy by revealing how many Mexican laborers work without essential safety protections or official supervision.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Joseph, who grew up in California, was in the laborers’ union.
—Veronica Fulton, NBC news, 7 Apr. 2026
In contrast, the Fraternal Order of Eagles advocated for pensions for industrial wage laborers—for people who had worked in jobs that wore out their bodies and left them physically unable to work.
—Trevor Jackson, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Melissa Gomez, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
As the sweep unfolded, dozens of laborers moved methodically through the forest’s steep and muddy terrain.
—Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 16 Apr. 2026
By design, the responsibility to pay these workers shifted from the employers, who were reluctant to pay Black laborers in the first place, to the whims of the customers.
—Allyson Reedy, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
On the other hand, the nearly $700 billion AI infrastructure build-out has created white-hot demand for skilled laborers.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
To win votes from Southern Democrats, Roosevelt had agreed to deny Social Security to agricultural and domestic laborers—excluding a large percentage of Black workers.
—Judith Shulevitz, The Atlantic, 9 Apr. 2026
In August 2022, 10 miners died when the El Pinabete coal mine in Coahuila flooded — a disaster that sparked intense controversy by revealing how many Mexican laborers work without essential safety protections or official supervision.
—ABC News, 8 Apr. 2026
Joseph, who grew up in California, was in the laborers’ union.
—Veronica Fulton, NBC news, 7 Apr. 2026
In contrast, the Fraternal Order of Eagles advocated for pensions for industrial wage laborers—for people who had worked in jobs that wore out their bodies and left them physically unable to work.
—Trevor Jackson, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laborers
Noun
-
Equally concerning is that requiring twice as many workers per case without a plan to recruit or retain them risks widespread gaps in care.—
Voice of the People,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
First, the company engaged in interference and retaliation by issuing discipline to a bargaining committee member for attending bargaining sessions on behalf of their fellow workers — protected activity under federal law.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
25 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some of the first slaves to arrive in Louisiana were sent from Angola, according to historians.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The massive structure was built between 1805 and 1820 by thousands of former slaves, and stands as a UNESCO World Heritage site.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Laborers.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laborers. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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