labor
Usage
What are other ways to say labor?
Labor particularly denotes hard manual work: backbreaking labor; arduous labor. Drudgery suggests continuous, dreary, and dispiriting work, especially of a menial or servile kind: the drudgery of household tasks. Toil suggests wearying or exhausting labor: toil that breaks down the worker's health. Work is the general word and may apply to exertion that is either easy or hard: fun work; heavy work.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
U.S. jobless claims rose last week but remained in a range suggestive of a healthy labor market.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 11, 2026
“While prices have come down from their peak, businesses are still facing higher costs for labor, transportation and energy, and some of those costs will eventually find their way to consumers,” he said.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026
The good news is that labor costs more broadly appear well-contained.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
The health insurance impact on young workers from AI disruption is likely to lag labor market trends, and “may not fully translate into employer-sponsored coverage loss” until 2028 to 2030, Barclays estimates.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
Until 1850, many of these presidents brought enslaved servants to work at the White House, which was also built and maintained with enslaved labor.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
Vocabulary lists containing labor
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Labor Day Lexicon: Words That Put You To Work
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Working Together: The Language of Unions
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