LABORS Synonyms: 219 Similar and Opposite Words

labors 1 of 2

noun

plural of labor

as in headaches

a dull, unpleasant, or difficult piece of work one of the labors of Hercules in classical mythology was to clean out the stables of King Augeas

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as in efforts

the active use of energy in producing a result a superhuman amount of labor must have gone into designing and building the pyramids of Egypt

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as in toils

very hard or unpleasant work a political dissident forced to do six months of hard labor in the salt mines as punishment

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as in childbirths

the act or process of giving birth to children the mother's labor lasted for six hours

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as in products

something produced by physical or intellectual effort a small, personal film that was clearly a labor of love for the director and actors

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labors

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of labor

as in struggles

to devote serious and sustained effort the young lawyer labored most of the weekend over the difficult legal brief

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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 labors

Noun

Teaching and coaching are labors of love passed down from Lee’s father, Robert, who spent his career coaching and teaching students in Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools. — Pj Green august 27, Kansas City Star, 27 Aug. 2026 Exclusion generates the prestige toward which unpaid labors strive. — M. C. Mah, Literary Hub, 19 Aug. 2026 Do not restrict yourself from enjoying the rewards of your labors. — Lisa Stardust, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2026 As emails and text messages tug at our sleeves, even a short lull in the labors of the day can feel like an indulgence. — Danny Heitman, Christian Science Monitor, 31 July 2026 The dog watched over a three-bodied giant's red cattle, and was ultimately killed by Heracles as the demigod hero sought to complete his 12 labors. — Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 24 July 2026 Their heroic labors produced the versions that, copied and recopied on papyrus and later on parchment, arrived at last at a printing press in Florence. — David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026 The results of those labors, Devil’s Quarry, debuts June 10 as Season Five of Bone Valley. — Paul Solotaroff, Rolling Stone, 9 June 2026 People who had really long labors and deliveries are at higher risk of developing a pelvic floor prolapse. — Parents, 21 May 2026

Verb

Thoroughly unimpressed by her suburban idyll, and evidently unmoved by her responsibilities as wife and mother, Denise labors in her basement on a novel whose protagonist wishes to forsake her family for a life in New York. — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026 Every man and woman who labors in the construction industry deserves that. — Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 5 Mar. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for labors

Noun

Those with the condition, which was eventually named Minamata disease, had symptoms including tremors, headaches, seizures, vision and hearing problems, ataxia, dysarthria, memory loss, and cognitive decline.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Sep. 2026
Patients may experience a very high fever, headaches, neck pain, stupor, disorientation, muscle weakness and other serious symptoms.

— Irene Wright, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of headaches

Noun

Rød-Larsen's lawyer, John Christian Elden of the Norwegian law firm Elden Law, welcomed Norwegian law enforcement efforts to seek additional evidence from DOJ.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Sep. 2026
Since then, awareness and efforts to combat AMR have increased – but so has the threat.

— Laura Sharman, CNN Money, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of efforts

Noun

The gods themselves are also an unnerving presence, omnipresent beings of colossal power who see humans as their playthings and view Ulysses' toils as some twisted spectator sport.

— Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 July 2026
There has to be a chance that Jos Buttler’s toils in Sri Lanka and India represent his last ventures on the international stage, and therefore the end of an era.

— Paul Newman, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026

Definition of toils

Noun

As the first generation of entrepreneurs adapts to the demands of international business, these companies are moving beyond simply selling products abroad and starting to behave like true multinationals.

— Danny Vincent, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2026
Canada stands as the second-largest export market for US agricultural products, with US agricultural exports to Canada surpassing 28 billion dollars in 2025.

— , CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of products

Verb

But that feels very different after Brown’s injury and Doubs’ struggles in his debut.

— Chad Graff, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
The move was sure to spark criticism that the president was paying Americans to vote Republican as the party struggles to match Democrats’ enthusiasm and faces a challenging midterm outlook.

— Joey Garrison, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of struggles

Noun

That went up to over 62,000 in March of this year, still a long way below the 105,000 the ground will welcome when works are finally complete — which Barca now hope will be in 2028.

— Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2026
The island also has over 80 private art galleries and plays host to several festivals, including the Thessaloniki Film Festival, which showcases works from emerging talents.

— Jennifer Tzeses, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Sep. 2026