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
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
Montiel, 62, said Chavez’s legacy continues to reverberate as the union has pushed for improved working conditions for people laboring in extreme heat, at times without adequate breaks or water.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 19 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
Doyley, who felt comfortable with her odds and wanted to continue laboring, argued during the hearing that C-sections carry their own dangers — including a risk of death.
—Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 14 Mar. 2026
Imagine living in the dictatorship of North Korea, hungry all the time, laboring for no pay.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
The son of a medical-gas plumber who worked night shifts, Darnold just kept laboring at his craft.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
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
Montiel, 62, said Chavez’s legacy continues to reverberate as the union has pushed for improved working conditions for people laboring in extreme heat, at times without adequate breaks or water.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 19 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
Doyley, who felt comfortable with her odds and wanted to continue laboring, argued during the hearing that C-sections carry their own dangers — including a risk of death.
—Amy Yurkanin, ProPublica, 14 Mar. 2026
Imagine living in the dictatorship of North Korea, hungry all the time, laboring for no pay.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 8 Mar. 2026
The son of a medical-gas plumber who worked night shifts, Darnold just kept laboring at his craft.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 9 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for laboring
Verb
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Kazan, struggling to find a local cinematographer whose work appealed to him, lucked into hiring a living legend.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Acquired before last year’s trade deadline from the Colorado Rockies, Bird was quickly demoted after struggling in his initial Yankee stint.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As is often true of an Allbee play, cracks in the veneer open into chasms of striving, desire, betrayal and raw revelation.—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
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Unlike Apollo, which focused on fast flags and footprints in a breakneck race against the Soviet Union, Artemis is striving for a sustainable moon base elaborate enough to satisfy even the most hard-core science fiction fans.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This was, according to the charter, arguably the moment when OpenAI might stop competing with other companies and start working with them.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Eco effort This property honors the land around it, working with it and integrating its lava rock wherever possible.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
Verb
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According to a synopsis, the book sees Mickey endeavoring to help the wrongly accused.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Feb. 2026
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Beyond endeavoring to sleep and also muscle through the day while the sun is bright overhead, the most challenging part for Mehta was the first day of sled pulling when her team moved from Vinson Base Camp to Low Camp.—
Wendy Altschuler,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 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
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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 11 Apr. 2026.
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