labor
13 ENTRIES FOUND:
1
labor
(US)
noun
plural
labors
1
labor
(US)
noun
plural
labors
Britannica Dictionary definition of LABOR
1
a
:
physical or mental effort
:
work
[noncount]
-
A day's labor should get the job done.
-
Getting the job done will require many hours of difficult labor.
-
menial/manual labor
[count]
-
He rested from his labors.
◊ A labor of love is a task that you do for enjoyment rather than pay.
-
Restoring the old car was a labor of love for him.
◊ When you enjoy the fruits of your labor/labors, you enjoy the things that you have gained by working.
-
She worked hard for many years, but now she has retired and is able to enjoy the fruits of her labor/labors.
b
[noncount]
:
work for which someone is paid
-
The cost of repairing the car includes parts and labor.
2
[noncount]
a
:
workers considered as a group
— often used before another noun
-
an area in which there is a shortage of cheap labor
-
a labor dispute
-
The company sought to cut labor costs by increasing its efficiency.
-
The company has a history of poor labor relations. [=the workers and the managers of the company have had many disputes]
-
the labor force [=the total number of people available for working]
b
:
the organizations or officials that represent groups of workers
-
The proposed new law is opposed by organized labor.
3
:
the process by which a woman gives birth to a baby
[noncount]
-
She went into labor this morning.
-
She has been in labor for several hours.
-
She began to have/experience labor pains this morning.
[singular]
-
She had a difficult labor.
4
Labour
[singular]
British, politics
:
the Labour Party of the United Kingdom or another part of the Commonwealth of Nations
-
a proposal that is opposed by Labour
2
labor
/ˈleɪbɚ/
verb
(US) or British
labour
labors;
labored;
laboring
2
labor
/ˈleɪbɚ/
verb
(US) or British
labour
labors;
labored;
laboring
Britannica Dictionary definition of LABOR
[no object]
1
a
:
to do work
-
Workers labored in the vineyard.
-
He labored for several years as a miner.
b
:
to work hard in order to achieve something
-
She has labored in vain to convince them to accept her proposal.
-
Both sides continue to labor [=struggle] to find a solution.
-
We should honor those who labored so long to make the truth known.
2
:
to move or proceed with effort
-
The truck labored up the hill.
-
I have been laboring through this book for months.
3
:
to repeat or stress something too much or too often
-
She has a tendency to labor the obvious.
-
I don't want to labor [=belabor] the point, but I think I should mention again that we are running out of time.
labor under a delusion/misapprehension/misconception
◊ If you continue to believe something that is not true, you are laboring under a delusion/misapprehension/misconception.
-
He still labors under the delusion that other people value his opinion.
