: produced or performed with labor
labored breathing
also
: lacking ease of expression
a labored speech
Examples of labored in a Sentence
The patient's symptoms included a rapid pulse and labored breathing.
The movie's dialogue seems very labored.
Recent Examples on the Web
For infants, additional red flags include difficulty feeding, fewer wet diapers, fast or labored breathing or unusual sleepiness.
—
Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
On the road, the turbo four delivers much more usable torque at low speeds compared to the old V6, making city driving and merging feel less labored.
—New Atlas, 22 Nov. 2025
His labored breathing had his chest rising and falling so fast.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 16 Nov. 2025
Her clarion voice slices through the show’s labored attempts to be both fable and fabulous.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for labored
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Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 4 Dec. 2025
On the road, the turbo four delivers much more usable torque at low speeds compared to the old V6, making city driving and merging feel less labored.
—New Atlas, 22 Nov. 2025
His labored breathing had his chest rising and falling so fast.
—Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 16 Nov. 2025
Her clarion voice slices through the show’s labored attempts to be both fable and fabulous.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for labored
Cite this Entry
“Labored.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/labored. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
labored
adjective
la·bored
ˈlā-bərd 
: produced or performed with difficulty or strain
labored breathing
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