1
as in to emphasize
to speak or write about insistently and usually tiresomely
stop belaboring the fact that they're already in debt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
there's no need to belabor other people's flaws when you're hardly perfect yourself
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
with a whip he belabored a horse almost to the point of death
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 belabor
Smart, a member of the NCAA rules committee, rarely criticized officiating and didn’t join in with Georgia fans belaboring calls after the 2018 national championship game.
—
Seth Emerson, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
In stating the obvious, Smith didn’t belabor the obvious point.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
Noah, a veteran emcee who previously took on the difficult task of handling the socially distanced COVID Grammys, offered smooth bridges between the emotional tributes, bursts of musical abandon and attempted comic bits that were never sharp, but never belabored either.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
By the time the second season of the Netflix series aired in 2021, many fans — myself included — grew fatigued with the same story, transparently steered by family patriarch Abraham Quintanilla and belabored to the point of redundancy.
—Suzy Exposito, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for belabor
Seth Emerson, The Athletic, 26 Dec. 2024
In stating the obvious, Smith didn’t belabor the obvious point.
—John Tamny, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024
Noah, a veteran emcee who previously took on the difficult task of handling the socially distanced COVID Grammys, offered smooth bridges between the emotional tributes, bursts of musical abandon and attempted comic bits that were never sharp, but never belabored either.
—Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
By the time the second season of the Netflix series aired in 2021, many fans — myself included — grew fatigued with the same story, transparently steered by family patriarch Abraham Quintanilla and belabored to the point of redundancy.
—Suzy Exposito, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for belabor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for belabor
Verb
-
President Obama emphasized battery-electric vehicles and solar, while President Trump focused on fossil fuels.—
Robert Rapier,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
-
Beach emphasizes that sales solve everything, advising entrepreneurs to focus relentlessly on revenue generation before perfecting other aspects.—
Nia Bowers,
USA Today,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
For example, if China can pin down the United States in the Taiwan Strait, Russia and Iran may seize the moment to attack their neighbors.—
Mark Melton,
National Review,
23 May 2025
-
According to authorities, Ward told them the fight and stabbing were self-defense, claiming the mother attacked and punched her several times in the face.—
Devoun Cetoute,
Miami Herald,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
Jose shrugs, pleads with her to not lick anyone at the inn, and leaves.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
22 May 2025
-
But Fahy, Alcock, and director Nicole Kassell are also very good at their jobs, and so even downright bizarre moments like Simone chewing Michaela’s used gum or Devon randomly licking a landscaper’s neck wind up making a strange sort of sense.—
Caroline Framke,
Vulture,
22 May 2025
Verb
-
Five months after beating New York Red Bulls for the club’s sixth MLS Cup title, the Galaxy lost the rematch 7-0 in New York — seven-nil — prompting an impromptu team scolding on the field by Vanney after the final whistle.—
Mark Zeigler,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 May 2025
-
The moment a golden retriever and his feline friend were scolded by their owner for their behavior during her trip has left people in stitches.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 May 2025
Verb
-
Those looking to secure a board now can do so for early bird rates.—
Bryan Hood,
Robb Report,
23 May 2025
-
The characters are too one-dimensional to care about — though we’re sporadically asked to do just that — yet at the same time their cartoonishness isn’t treated with enough gusto to actually be fun.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
23 May 2025
Verb
-
The Florida Panthers slammed the door on that, crushing that hope with a three-goal flurry in the second period and a game-winner in the third period.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
29 May 2025
-
The 58-year-old man driving the truck reportedly then lost control of his vehicle before slamming into a nearby Honda Odyssey and sending them both into a guard rail, WOFL and CBS affiliate WKMG-TV reported.—
Abigail Adams,
People.com,
28 May 2025
Verb
-
At 19, Johnson married his wife Daphne and initially, was able to hide his drug use from her, the Johnson's clemency petition said.—
Greta Cross,
USA Today,
22 May 2025
-
Enhanced measurement capabilities: Amazon continues investing in Amazon Marketing Cloud with new UI templates and simplified queries, suggesting a commitment to transparency rather than hiding attribution.—
Kiri Masters,
Forbes.com,
21 May 2025
Verb
-
After Trump initially insulted Springsteen and Swift on May 16, the American Federation of Musicians International stepped up to defend the artists.—
Anna Chan,
Billboard,
21 May 2025
-
The young adults had been insulting each other over text messages in an argument over a girl.—
Silas Morgan,
The Orlando Sentinel,
19 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Belabor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belabor. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share