1
as in job
a dull, unpleasant, or difficult piece of work
one of the labors of Hercules in classical mythology was to clean out the stables of King Augeas
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in effort
the active use of energy in producing a result
a superhuman amount of labor must have gone into designing and building the pyramids of Egypt
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in toil
very hard or unpleasant work
a political dissident forced to do six months of hard labor in the salt mines as punishment
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in childbirth
the act or process of giving birth to children
the mother's labor lasted for six hours
Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in production
something produced by physical or intellectual effort
a small, personal film that was clearly a labor of love for the director and actors
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to struggle
to devote serious and sustained effort
the young lawyer labored most of the weekend over the difficult legal brief
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of labor
Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
In April 2024, Google terminated 28 employees after a series of protests against labor conditions and its involvement in Project Nimbus.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
With The Fulfillment, the sub-context is how clout culture is a currency, how attention itself has become a currency, just like our laboring bodies are.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for labor
Noun
Business leaders and Hispanic advocacy groups are urging policy changes to allow long-term, tax-paying immigrant workers to obtain legal work permits, citing concerns over labor shortages.
—Billal Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
In April 2024, Google terminated 28 employees after a series of protests against labor conditions and its involvement in Project Nimbus.
—Annie Palmer, CNBC, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
Hammond labored 50 hours over a two week span to create her project.
—R. Daniel Foster, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
With The Fulfillment, the sub-context is how clout culture is a currency, how attention itself has become a currency, just like our laboring bodies are.
—Christopher Claxton, Billboard, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for labor
Recent Examples of Synonyms for labor
Noun
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All of which begs the question, can—and should—Europe use the once-in-a-generation opportunity presented by decarbonization to reboot its own renewables supply chain, creating green jobs and sustainable wealth for the future?—
Andrew Saunders,
Fortune,
15 Oct. 2025
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After graduating from high school in 1971, Silvana Clark enrolled at a community college after receiving guidance from her drama teacher, George Meshke, who had taken a job there.—
NPR,
NPR,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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What To Know According to the Associated Press (AP), the vote enables the county Board of Supervisors to approve rent relief efforts to tenants who cannot afford to pay their monthly costs of living due to the immigration crackdowns.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Oct. 2025
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Doug McMillon, the company’s president and CEO, said the latest partnership with OpenAI is merely a powerful extension of the company’s own AI efforts and plans.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Department of Education building is ugly in a distinctly Washington way—a concrete shoebox more suggestive of bureaucratic toil than of any grand vision of government.—
Emma Green,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
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Chelsea toil at Twente Sonia Bompastor’s post-match entreaty to Chelsea at Twente concerned desire — specifically the need for her side to find more of it following their 1-1 draw.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Services covered by emergency Medicaid are lifesaving procedures, including childbirth labor and delivery, the authors wrote.—
Nicole Acevedo,
NBC news,
9 Oct. 2025
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It is well documented that maternal mental health is the primary complication associated with childbirth and one of the leading causes of maternal mortality in the United States.—
Catherine Birndorf,
Scientific American,
8 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Oil production releases large volumes of gas that are typically burned off, a process also known as flaring.—
Emma Graham,
CNBC,
15 Oct. 2025
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The group’s chairman, Vijay Kumar Agarwal, told Reuters that the company could be forced to lay off nearly half of its 15,000-person workforce and is looking into relocating production to Bangladesh if conditions don’t improve.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Los Angeles Dodgers' already struggling bullpen will be without one of its key members as the team prepares for the NLCS.—
Shaun McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Oct. 2025
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President Joe Biden struggled to stop wars in Europe and the Middle East.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
11 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling, or rash.—
Greg Norman,
FOXNews.com,
15 Oct. 2025
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But just one week later, on June 1, 2019, a splitting headache and blurred vision sent her racing back to the hospital.—
Jordan Greene,
PEOPLE,
14 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The researchers noted that torsional loading is not as strongly associated with injury risk as vertical loading, but future work may explore whether improved stroller design or posture cues could mitigate those twisting forces.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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The San Jose region’s faster bounce-back may be attributable in part to an easier commute to work than in San Francisco and the East Bay, and tech campuses with free parking, making in-office work more appealing, the Bay Area Council’s Saisz said.—
Ethan Baron,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Labor.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/labor. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.
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