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

Hotels increasingly use signature scents to shape their brands, but guests with asthma or chemical sensitivities say those fragrances can trigger headaches and other problems.

— Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
After six days, 57% of study participants who had VYD2311 injected into the muscle of their upper arm reported headaches, chills, fatigue or pain at the injection site — the typical side effects associated with vaccinations.

— Adam Feuerstein, STAT, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of headaches

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

The human neurons suffered severe, selective damage, mimicking the cellular breakdown that causes cerebral palsy in human infants during difficult childbirths.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
Congo's has among the world's highest rates of both childbirths per woman and deaths around childbirth.

— ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of childbirths

Noun

While some American buyers--particularly the well-off--were lured into purchasing EVs thanks to federal and state handouts, most drivers resisted such products out of fears regarding long charging times and limited battery range.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 5 Oct. 2026
And while The Atlantic has published largely skeptical coverage of major AI companies and their products’ impact on society, Thompson’s tone, in his podcasts and LinkedIn posts, has been more optimistic.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of products

Verb

Not only does Jeong-yo have an emotional connection to his music performance that Pi-o struggles to find himself, but Pi-o has injured his pinky in the leadup to the final performance, thanks to his obsessive practicing.

— Kayti Burt, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
As someone who struggles with the dizzying effects of altitude, I was quickly reminded of Santa Fe’s 7,000-foot elevation.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of struggles

Noun

There have been jobs added in Amsterdam, Paris, and Frankfurt.

— Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Workers from India reported having to pay $5,600 to recruiters to get the jobs, but the settlement did not directly address abuses in India, where prosecutors could not investigate, officials said.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of jobs

Noun

But equally rewarding are works by artists who are still being discovered, who haven’t already secured their place in art history.

— Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Acoustic wooden bafflers frame the space and help create a sense of intimacy, with grand works from local artists peppered about and instilling a tangible sense of place.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026