work like a dog

VERB

burn the midnight oil

Synonyms

WEAK

bear down cram do double duty elucubrate grind lucubrate overwork study sweat and slave toil away work day and night work late work overtime

VERB

struggle

Synonyms

STRONGEST

cope seek strive tackle toil try

STRONG

assay attempt dig endeavor grind hassle hustle offer plug scratch slave strain sweat undertake

WEAK

bend over backwards break one's back break one's neck exert oneself give it one's best shot give the old college try go all out have one's nose to grindstone make every effort plug away take a crack take a stab take on try one's hardest

Antonyms

STRONGEST

forget idle neglect

STRONG

be lazy ignore laze procrastinate withhold

WEAK

rest surrender yield

VERB

toil

Synonyms

STRONGEST

strive sweat

STRONG

drudge grind away labor moil plod plug away strain struggle tug work

WEAK

knock oneself out peg away push oneself

Antonyms

STRONG

be lazy idle laze relax rest

WEAK

neglect

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.

You could work like a dog, because farm dogs work all day.

From Washington Post • Jan. 11, 2019

I don't blame someone for not wanting to work like a dog for $7.25 an hour.

From Economist • Dec. 18, 2013

"He makes you work like a dog," says Osvaldo.

From The Guardian • Jan. 17, 2011

"He had to work like a dog for everything he has," recalls Earl Sneed, his former law school dean.

From Time Magazine Archive

We never understood before what it was to "work like a dog."

From An American Girl Abroad by Trafton, Adeline