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.
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
Some industry experts say India has many of the ingredients needed to make lightning-fast delivery viable: dense cities, a large labor pool and a vast customer base accustomed to buying daily essentials from neighborhood shops.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026
It has taken on renewed importance in the past year as an indicator that highlights both worker demand from employers and the labor supply as curtailed immigration and retirements restrict available workers.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
At the same time, the U.S. labor market looks better than it did a few months ago.
From MarketWatch • May 22, 2026
Their plantations and businesses would not earn enough money to support the cost of operating these large properties if they shifted to paid labor.
From "In the Shadow of Liberty" by Kenneth C. Davis
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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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