labor
Work, especially hard work
Work that needs a lot of physical or mental effort.
[someone] does labor
- The construction of the building required months of manual labor.
- Farming is hard labor that takes strength and patience.
- The company reduced costs by outsourcing some of its labor.
- I do hard labor in the garden.
- He found the labor too heavy.
- The labor took all day.
Process of childbirth
The process when a woman gives birth to a baby.
[someone] is in labor
- She went into labor two weeks early.
- The doctor monitored her closely during labor.
- Labor can last for many hours.
- She is in labor now.
- My sister went into labor yesterday.
- Labor can be very painful.
Workers considered as a group
All the workers in a place or country, especially those who do physical work.
the labor [group/type]
- The factory depends on cheap labor from overseas.
- Organized labor protested against the new policy.
- Labor unions negotiated better wages.
- Labor in this city is expensive.
- The country needs more skilled labor.
- Labor is asking for higher pay.
To work hard for a long time
To work very hard for a long time.
to labor [on/over] [something]
- She labored over the report until midnight.
- Workers labored in the hot sun.
- They labored for years to complete the project.
- I labored on my homework all night.
- He labored in the field all day.
- We labored over the plan for weeks.
To move or progress with great effort
To move or do something slowly and with hard effort.
to labor [through/under] [something]
- He labored up the steep hill.
- They labored through the complicated instructions.
- She labored under the weight of expectation.
- I labored up the stairs.
- We labored through the long test.
- He labored under heavy boxes.
- Base: labor
- Variant Spelling: labour
- Plural: labor, labors
- Base: labor
- Variant Spelling: labour
- 3rd Person Singular: labors
- Present Participle: laboring
- Past: labored
- Spelling Variant: labour Verb
- Spelling Variant: labour Noun
go into labor
1Start giving birth to a baby
When a woman starts having her baby.
- She went into labor at midnight.
- The nurse said she might go into labor soon.
hard labor
1Physically demanding work as punishment or job
Very hard physical work, sometimes given as punishment in prison.
- The prisoners were sentenced to five years of hard labor.
- Farming in that climate is hard labor.
organized labor
1Unionized workers acting together for rights and benefits
Workers who join together in groups called unions to get better pay and working conditions.
- Organized labor fought for an eight-hour workday.
- The bill was opposed by organized labor.
labor of love
1Work done out of passion not money
Work you do because you enjoy it, not because you get paid well.
- Restoring the old house was a labor of love for them.
- Writing the book was truly a labor of love.
labor of love
2Work done for enjoyment, not pay
Work you do because you enjoy it, not for money.
- Restoring the old house was a real labor of love.
- Writing the book was a labor of love for her.
manual labor
1Physical work by hand
Work where you use your body and hands, not machines or computers.
- The job involves a lot of manual labor in the warehouse.
- He earns his living through manual labor.
- Manual labor is tiring but rewarding for some people.
- Manual labor is tiring but rewarding.