as in wrought
to devote serious and sustained effort
the young lawyer labored most of the weekend over the difficult legal brief
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as in manufactured
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of labored
Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2024
Complemented by black-and-white footage of old races, the group conjured the labored breathing, accelerated blood flow and competitive exertion of cycling up hills, through valleys and across finish lines.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
Francis' feeble voice, discernible through his labored breaths and in his native Spanish, was recorded Thursday from the hospital and broadcast to the faithful in St. Peter's Square who had gathered for the nightly recitation of the rosary prayer.
—arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2025
The latter thrives during the occasionally labored long takes, leaning on her background in improvisational comedy to listen, react, and take command as needed.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for labored
Verb
Meet Beacon, the Golden Retriever Who Had an Important Role at the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials
The update added that x-rays taken on Tuesday showed fluid in Beacon’s chest cavity was at least partly responsible for the labored breathing.
—Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 5 Sep. 2024
Complemented by black-and-white footage of old races, the group conjured the labored breathing, accelerated blood flow and competitive exertion of cycling up hills, through valleys and across finish lines.
—Bob Gendron, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2025
Francis' feeble voice, discernible through his labored breaths and in his native Spanish, was recorded Thursday from the hospital and broadcast to the faithful in St. Peter's Square who had gathered for the nightly recitation of the rosary prayer.
—arkansasonline.com, 7 Mar. 2025
The latter thrives during the occasionally labored long takes, leaning on her background in improvisational comedy to listen, react, and take command as needed.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for labored
Recent Examples of Synonyms for labored
Verb
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When Barbra Streisand struggled with the replacement orchestrations during a recording session, the conductor had Cullen’s original scores on hand.—
Darryn King,
Forbes,
27 Dec. 2024
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The Bears offense struggled under coordinator Shane Waldron, so he was fired.—
Kevin Fishbain,
The Athletic,
27 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Prosecutors say that the two-year relationship between Read and O’Keefe had become strained with jealousy and significant fighting, heightened by frequent alcohol use.—
Flint McColgan,
Boston Herald,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Following a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi last week, both sides recognized the recent improvements in their strained relationship.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Those who worked with him always circled back to his genuine joy on the podium.—
Rick Kogan,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Dec. 2024
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And the front and rear hydraulic disc brakes with 180mm rotors worked extremely well, even going downhill, without any squealing whatsoever.—
Scott Kramer,
Forbes,
24 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Even someone who is well-known publicly for being deeply concerned about AI's hypothetical threat to humanity acknowledges that these behaviors emerged only in highly contrived test scenarios.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
13 Aug. 2025
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Aside from Murphy and Davidson, Palmer does exactly what is expected from her, and Longoria also survives with dignity intact after being handed a contrived role that no actor could make credible; give her an ‘A ‘ for effort.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
4 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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But what really sets the Bambino Plus apart is its automatic milk frother.—
Mark Marino,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
29 Aug. 2025
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As Vanguard researchers note, the prevalence of automatic enrollment means that more workers than ever now have workplace plans — especially those with inconsistent or unreliable income.—
Ryan Ermey,
CNBC,
29 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Play across the Strike maps with a partner with forced loadouts, only the guns aren’t basic like in the vanilla version of this mode.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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But families torn apart by forced adoptions say that’s not enough.—
Yoonjung Seo,
CNN Money,
1 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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The story was too pat, too earnest, too self-flattering.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
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Twain has long been accused of giving Huck Finn an overly pat, comic ending.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
9 May 2025
Adjective
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Driving through deep water can also affect a vehicle's mechanical and electrical systems.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
28 Aug. 2025
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These nation-wide country-goes-city celebrations of agricultural bounty, mechanical innovations and skilled handcrafts have been drawing crowds since the first fair was held in upstate New York in 1841.—
Chadd Scott,
Forbes.com,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Labored.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/labored. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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