Inglês

labor

gb/lˈeɪbɚ/ us/lˈeɪbɚ/
B1 Inglês
~ 2200
Aceções
0 aceções
Nome B1 entity
1

Work, especially hard work

Work that needs a lot of physical or mental effort.

Padrão de uso: [someone] does labor
Erro comum:
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.)
Colocações
manual labor |hard labor |skilled labor |labor force |labor market
Temas
work |economy |daily life |core_vocabulary
Exemplos
  • 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.
Exemplos para aprendentes
  • I do hard labor in the garden.
  • He found the labor too heavy.
  • The labor took all day.
Nome B1 event
2

Process of childbirth

The process when a woman gives birth to a baby.

Padrão de uso: [someone] is in labor
Erro comum:
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.)
Colocações
go into labor |be in labor |labor pains |prolonged labor
Temas
health |family |body
Exemplos
  • She went into labor two weeks early.
  • The doctor monitored her closely during labor.
  • Labor can last for many hours.
Exemplos para aprendentes
  • She is in labor now.
  • My sister went into labor yesterday.
  • Labor can be very painful.
Nome B2 entity
3

Workers considered as a group

All the workers in a place or country, especially those who do physical work.

Padrão 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.)
Colocações
organized labor |cheap labor |unionized labor |labor unions
Temas
work |economy |business
Exemplos
  • The factory depends on cheap labor from overseas.
  • Organized labor protested against the new policy.
  • Labor unions negotiated better wages.
Exemplos para aprendentes
  • 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.

Padrão de uso: to labor [on/over] [something]
Sinónimos
toil (Emphasizes exhausting and continuous work.)
Antónimos
rest (To stop working and recover energy.)
Colocações
labor over details |labor for hours |labor day and night
Temas
work |core_vocabulary
Exemplos
  • She labored over the report until midnight.
  • Workers labored in the hot sun.
  • They labored for years to complete the project.
Exemplos para aprendentes
  • 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.

Padrão de uso: to labor [through/under] [something]
Sinónimos
struggle (Implies difficulty but not always physical effort.)
Antónimos
glide (To move easily without effort.)
Colocações
labor through a task |labor under a misconception
Temas
movement |core_vocabulary
Exemplos
  • He labored up the steep hill.
  • They labored through the complicated instructions.
  • She labored under the weight of expectation.
Exemplos para aprendentes
  • I labored up the stairs.
  • We labored through the long test.
  • He labored under heavy boxes.
Gramática
Forma de dicionário
labor
IPA
GB/lˈeɪbɚ/
US/lˈeɪbɚ/
Sílabas e acento
labor (1 sílaba)
Stress on 1st syllable (labor)
Formas da palavra
Noun
  • Base: labor
  • Variant Spelling: labour
  • Plural: labor, labors
Verb
  • Base: labor
  • Variant Spelling: labour
  • 3rd Person Singular: labors
  • Present Participle: laboring
  • Past: labored
Família de palavras
Forms
labour verb A2 labors noun laboring verb labored verb
Core family
laborer noun B1
Related words
laborious adjective B2 laboriously adverb
Advanced or less common
unlabored adjective
Destaques
  • Spelling Variant: labour Verb
  • Spelling Variant: labour Noun
Expressões

go into labor

1
/ɡˈoʊ ˈɪntu lˈeɪbɚ/
fixed phrase

Start giving birth to a baby

When a woman starts having her baby.

Exemplos
  • 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.

Exemplos
  • 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.

Exemplos
  • 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.

Exemplos
  • 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.

Exemplos
  • 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.

Exemplos
  • 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.

Que bom ver-te de novo!

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