labor
gb/lˈeɪbɚ/ us/lˈeɪbɚ/
B1
Inglés
~ 2200
Acepciones
0 acepciones
Sustantivo
B1
entity
1
Work, especially hard work
Work that needs a lot of physical or mental effort.
Patrón de uso:
[someone] does labor
Error frecuente:
Learners sometimes confuse 'labor' with 'laboratory' because of similar spelling.
Sinónimos
work (More general term; can refer to any activity done to achieve a purpose, not necessarily hard effort.)
|
toil (Emphasizes hard, tiring, and continuous work.)
Antónimos
rest (Represents the absence of work or effort.)
Colocaciones
manual labor
|hard labor
|skilled labor
|labor force
|labor market
Temas
work
|economy
|daily life
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- 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.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I do hard labor in the garden.
- He found the labor too heavy.
- The labor took all day.
Sustantivo
B1
event
2
Process of childbirth
The process when a woman gives birth to a baby.
Patrón de uso:
[someone] is in labor
Error frecuente:
Learners may confuse 'labor' meaning childbirth with 'labor' meaning work; context is important.
Sinónimos
childbirth (More general term for the act of giving birth; 'labor' emphasizes the process before and during delivery.)
Antónimos
pregnancy (The period before labor begins.)
Colocaciones
go into labor
|be in labor
|labor pains
|prolonged labor
Temas
health
|family
|body
Ejemplos
- She went into labor two weeks early.
- The doctor monitored her closely during labor.
- Labor can last for many hours.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- She is in labor now.
- My sister went into labor yesterday.
- Labor can be very painful.
Sustantivo
B2
entity
3
Workers considered as a group
All the workers in a place or country, especially those who do physical work.
Patrón de uso:
the labor [group/type]
Sinónimos
workforce (Refers to all employees; 'labor' often implies manual or industrial workers.)
Antónimos
management (Refers to those who run or control a business, as opposed to the workers.)
Colocaciones
organized labor
|cheap labor
|unionized labor
|labor unions
Temas
work
|economy
|business
Ejemplos
- The factory depends on cheap labor from overseas.
- Organized labor protested against the new policy.
- Labor unions negotiated better wages.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- Labor in this city is expensive.
- The country needs more skilled labor.
- Labor is asking for higher pay.
Verbo
B2
action
4
To work hard for a long time
To work very hard for a long time.
Patrón de uso:
to labor [on/over] [something]
Sinónimos
toil (Emphasizes exhausting and continuous work.)
Antónimos
rest (To stop working and recover energy.)
Colocaciones
labor over details
|labor for hours
|labor day and night
Temas
work
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- She labored over the report until midnight.
- Workers labored in the hot sun.
- They labored for years to complete the project.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I labored on my homework all night.
- He labored in the field all day.
- We labored over the plan for weeks.
Verbo
B2
action
5
To move or progress with great effort
To move or do something slowly and with hard effort.
Patrón de uso:
to labor [through/under] [something]
Sinónimos
struggle (Implies difficulty but not always physical effort.)
Antónimos
glide (To move easily without effort.)
Colocaciones
labor through a task
|labor under a misconception
Temas
movement
|core_vocabulary
Ejemplos
- He labored up the steep hill.
- They labored through the complicated instructions.
- She labored under the weight of expectation.
Ejemplos para estudiantes
- I labored up the stairs.
- We labored through the long test.
- He labored under heavy boxes.
Gramática
Forma de diccionario
labor
AFI
GB/lˈeɪbɚ/
US/lˈeɪbɚ/
Sílabas y acento
labor (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (labor)
Formas de la palabra
Noun
- Base: labor
- Variant Spelling: labour
- Plural: labor, labors
Verb
- Base: labor
- Variant Spelling: labour
- 3rd Person Singular: labors
- Present Participle: laboring
- Past: labored
Familia de palabras
Forms
Core family
laborer
noun B1
Related words
laborious
adjective B2
laboriously
adverb
Advanced or less common
unlabored
adjective
Aspectos destacados
- Spelling Variant: labour Verb
- Spelling Variant: labour Noun
Expresiones
go into labor
1/ɡˈoʊ ˈɪntu lˈeɪbɚ/
fixed phrase
Start giving birth to a baby
When a woman starts having her baby.
Ejemplos
- She went into labor at midnight.
- The nurse said she might go into labor soon.
hard labor
1/hˈɑɹd lˈeɪbɚ/
fixed phrase
Physically demanding work as punishment or job
Very hard physical work, sometimes given as punishment in prison.
Ejemplos
- The prisoners were sentenced to five years of hard labor.
- Farming in that climate is hard labor.
organized labor
1/ˈɔɹɡənˌaɪzd lˈeɪbɚ/
fixed phrase
Unionized workers acting together for rights and benefits
Workers who join together in groups called unions to get better pay and working conditions.
Ejemplos
- Organized labor fought for an eight-hour workday.
- The bill was opposed by organized labor.
labor of love
1/lˈeɪbɚ əv lˈʌv/
idiom
Work done out of passion not money
Work you do because you enjoy it, not because you get paid well.
Ejemplos
- Restoring the old house was a labor of love for them.
- Writing the book was truly a labor of love.
labor of love
2/lˈeɪbɚ əv lˈʌv/
idiom
Work done for enjoyment, not pay
Work you do because you enjoy it, not for money.
Ejemplos
- Restoring the old house was a real labor of love.
- Writing the book was a labor of love for her.
manual labor
1/mˈænjuəl lˈeɪbɚ/
fixed phrase
Physical work by hand
Work where you use your body and hands, not machines or computers.
Ejemplos
- 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.