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.
The good news is that labor costs more broadly appear well-contained.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 10, 2026
Recent labor actions, including a SoFi Stadium worker pay raise and American Axle strike, signal a surge in union activity.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
The argument is AI would lower labor costs for businesses while boosting output.
From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026
Riley crafting a cogent message about workers’ rights and the price of labor would be a feat in and of itself, especially in a film this fun.
From Salon • Jun. 10, 2026
From that day on, for the next ten years, while we traveled from place to place throughout California, following the crops and living in migrant labor camps, I feared being caught by the Border Patrol.
From "Breaking Through" by Francisco Jiménez
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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