as in struggling
to devote serious and sustained effort
the young lawyer labored most of the weekend over the difficult legal brief
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Recent Examples of laboring
Trump poses as a pro-worker force, but his policies are atrocious for the laboring class.
—
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Put differently, eliminating tax on overtime reduces the number of hours each day that hourly workers are laboring not for themselves or their families but for the government.
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
The difference early was that Keller was throwing strikes at an astonishing rate and quickly working through his innings, while King was laboring.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Smith allowed one hit in the laboring 99-pitch outing.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Alongside the currently missing McDaniels and Edwards, Naz Reid is clearly laboring.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2026
That took hundreds of people within Apple laboring over technical details like the screen’s lamination and moisture rejection, according to a former Apple engineering leader.
—Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
Alamo Colleges adopted a Chavez holiday in July 2023, as two board members recalled their fathers once laboring as farmworkers.
—Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Mar. 2026
With Anthony Edwards laboring because of a sore right knee, Randle and Ayo Dosunmu stepped in to pick up the scoring slack.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Put differently, eliminating tax on overtime reduces the number of hours each day that hourly workers are laboring not for themselves or their families but for the government.
—Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026
The difference early was that Keller was throwing strikes at an astonishing rate and quickly working through his innings, while King was laboring.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Smith allowed one hit in the laboring 99-pitch outing.
—Lamond Pope, Chicago Tribune, 8 Apr. 2026
Alongside the currently missing McDaniels and Edwards, Naz Reid is clearly laboring.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2026
That took hundreds of people within Apple laboring over technical details like the screen’s lamination and moisture rejection, according to a former Apple engineering leader.
—Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 1 Apr. 2026
Alamo Colleges adopted a Chavez holiday in July 2023, as two board members recalled their fathers once laboring as farmworkers.
—Scott Huddleston, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Mar. 2026
With Anthony Edwards laboring because of a sore right knee, Randle and Ayo Dosunmu stepped in to pick up the scoring slack.
—Jon Krawczynski, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laboring
Verb
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That leaves firms which relied on cheap, abundant credit during the low-rate era of 2010s and early 2020s more exposed, with weaker companies struggling to roll over debt or exit investments.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
20 Apr. 2026
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Despite Magic guard Desmond Bane, clearly under the weather, struggling from beyond the arc but still managing to contribute 17 points.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Everything is going to plan when, just hours after launch, a series of unexplained events engulf Sutherland in mystery and risks destroying everything Mirren’s been striving for.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Linda is a ball of nervous energy, a blue-collar divorcée, and a woman striving to turn her dysfunctional children into a model family for their New Jersey town.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
King has been working ever since then to bring a Michael Jackson film to theatres, and now only technicalities remained.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
During her college years, Sophie spent her summers working and gaining experience in television and journalism.—
Katie Mannion,
PEOPLE,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Maryland’s Republican leaders would do well to listen to Bouchat and to follow his example rather than endeavoring to expel him from office for doing little more than stating the obvious.—
Chris Roemer,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Apr. 2026
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Don’t fear asking your stylist for help Hair textures and styles do run the gamut, and endeavoring to find extensions to match your own might feel like a fool’s errand.—
Hunter Lacey,
Allure,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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But even while toiling away at their laptops, professionals can take one short step to return to their center.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Medieval monks toiling away at poetic meditations on the divine have their place, the authors allow, but their own arguments are meant to surpass mere abstract justifications for belief.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
26 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Laboring.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/laboring. Accessed 25 Apr. 2026.
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