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.
See Examples For:
ADP said U.S. businesses created just 44,000 new jobs in July — the smallest increase in six months — in another sign of a sluggish labor market in which hiring is unusually soft.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
Schmid added that the labor market is in balance, leaving his focus on price pressures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
“Job-changers are highly sensitive to real-time economic conditions, and their rapid pay growth implies supply constraints in parts of the labor market,” said ADP Chief Economist Nela Richardson.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
Disney also flagged that it is “mid-stream” through work to cut costs, including in labor and selling, general and administrative expenses.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026
A boy who looked like he was my age told me his uncle took a piece of fruit that did not belong to him and was sentenced to five years of hard labor in Aswan.
From "The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra's Needle" by Dan Gutman
Much has been said, notably by the critic Harold Bloom, about the agony of the artist who labors under the shadow of the greats.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 10, 2026
In New York, this month brings a wealth of opportunities to appreciate the fruits of these labors, principally at the Museum of Modern Art’s annual festival of film preservation, “To Save and Project.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
A friend gave her a wire bakers rack and Scott started to fill it with the fruits of her labors.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2025
Flynn deserves a break from his heroic theatrical labors, but he’s not done yet.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2024
On July 30, he sent the fruits of his labors to Washington, who found the Hamilton draft “exceedingly just, & just such as ought to be inculcated.”
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Really labored breathing, kind of tugging in their belly, tugging between their ribs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Last Thanksgiving, Megan Thee Stallion labored for days to prepare an elaborate holiday dinner for then-boyfriend Klay Thompson and his family.
From Salon ● Apr. 30, 2026
Araceli Molar de Barrios labored in the fields for nearly 30 years after arriving in the U.S. in 1995, two years after Chavez’s death.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 21, 2026
Lamarck labored professionally under the modest title of professor of insects and worms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 20, 2026
For Lord Tertius of Stormhold was writhing back and forth on the bed, his eyes wide, his breathing labored.
From "Stardust" by Neil Gaiman
One minute, she’d been in the bathroom, laboring through a contraction.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2026
Spirit has been laboring to emerge from its second trip to bankruptcy in less than a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026
You probably know it already — you’ve seen oil pumpjacks laboring away in nutty places, like on the La Cienega Boulevard shortcut through Baldwin Hills to the airport.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
"For decades, while laboring in the vineyards of the community, he inspired us to keep hope alive in the struggle for liberty and justice for all," the Democrat said.
From BBC ● Feb. 17, 2026
In the dark I have to hold it centimeters from my nose, laboring over every letter.
From "Girl in the Blue Coat" by Monica Hesse
Vocabulary lists containing labor
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Labor Day Lexicon: Words That Put You To Work
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Working Together: The Language of Unions
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
