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 Spartans might be . . . viewed as parasites, feeding off the forced labor of their helots,” he opines.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
Some of the candidates’ fantasy characters were literal — City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, a labor organizer running for reelection, was a barbarian named “Hugo the Organizer” using his “righteous indignation” to organize workers.
From Los Angeles Times • May 24, 2026
The study’s findings come as the American labor market looks increasingly sour for men.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026
Inflated dealer inventories, labor unrest, management turnover, rising quality costs, tariffs, and other issues weighed on profitability.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
The gentle sounds of water cascading from the fountain reminded me of the creek that ran behind our cabin in the cotton labor camp in Corcoran.
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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