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:
Especially among younger workers, those with less education are more likely to be missing from the labor force.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
“L.A. is a labor city, and I am there with you 100%.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
“It is a reflection of the bigger picture of China’s labor market,” said Christian Yao, an expert on China’s workforce at Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 7, 2026
The holiday has particular resonance in Southern California, where the labor movement remains large in numbers and powerful in political influence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2026
“Oh yes, we built the Hominy Ridge School, a modern weatherboarded structure for her comfort and convenience, all with volunteer labor we gladly give.”
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
He labors seven days a week as a construction worker, but goes out dancing every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2026
At Schaeffler, Digit labors alone inside a Plexiglas cage, moving baskets for four hours, recharging over lunch, then going again for another four hours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026
Most weeks, this column labors to avoid sentimentality.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 9, 2025
The hivemind refuses to hurt or kill any living being, states its preference for vegetarianism and merrily labors to care for the few who aren’t like them.
From Salon ● Nov. 26, 2025
When all was quiet, the miller’s wife began her labors again, and finally, as Beetle told the cat later, “There come a baby.”
From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman
The noise of backhoes, cranes and bulldozers echoed across Colombia's quake-hit cities on Sunday as workers labored to remove rubble, though the chance of finding survivors was slim a week after the disaster.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
Her brother had labored to secure White House approval for the bill.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 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
They appeared to agree on Meta’s culpability by Friday, but labored through Tuesday to hash out a decision for Google, delivering their verdict just after 10 a.m.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2026
Her tongue escaped the side of her mouth as she labored.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
That, plus his aversion to economic ideology, helped craft a reputation for the Fed as an independent, technocratic institution laboring to do a good job for the American people.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
Still, he kept laboring toward a perfection he didn’t always reach but never despaired of reaching.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 7, 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
Montiel, 62, said Chavez’s legacy continues to reverberate as the union has pushed for improved working conditions for people laboring in extreme heat, at times without adequate breaks or water.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 19, 2026
He glanced up briefly and scowled again before turning back to whatever verse he was laboring over.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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!
