backbreaking

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.

But the backbreaking work left behind—often in agriculture or coal mines—was worse.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 28, 2025

Everyone paid to see a pitcher intentionally put himself behind in the count, let a runner on base who would come around to score, and then give up a backbreaking grand slam.

From Slate • Nov. 11, 2025

Residents have now started the backbreaking task of cleaning away the thick layer of mud, and picking through the wreckage for anything that can be used.

From BBC • Nov. 6, 2025

But perhaps just as vexing are the challenges heat poses to the health of firefighters themselves, who already perform backbreaking work saddled with heavy equipment in unforgiving terrain.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 14, 2024

The work was backbreaking: digging out boulders, chopping down trees, dynamiting tunnels, and hammering in railroad ties.

From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield