Definitions for laborˈleɪ bər
Random House Webster's College Dictionary
la•bor*ˈleɪ bər(n.)
productive activity, esp. for the sake of economic gain.
the body of persons engaged in such activity, esp. those working for wages.
this body of persons considered as a class
Ref: (distinguished from management ).
physical or mental work, esp. of a hard or fatiguing kind.
a job or task done or to be done.
the uterine contractions of childbirth. the interval from the onset of these contractions to childbirth.
Category: Medicine
(v.i.)to perform labor; work.
to strive, as toward a goal; work hard (often fol. by for):
to labor for peace.
to move slowly and with effort.
to function at a disadvantage (usu. fol. by under):
to labor under a misapprehension.
to undergo childbirth.
Category: Medicine
to roll or pitch heavily, as a ship.
Category: Nautical, Navy
(v.t.)to develop or dwell on in excessive detail:
Don't labor the point.
to burden or tire.
(adj.)of or pertaining to workers, their associations, or working conditions:
labor reforms.
Category: Common Vocabulary
Ref: Also, esp. Brit., labour .
* Syn: See work.Usage: See -or1.
Origin of labor:
1250–1300; ME < MF < L labor
la′bor•er
Princeton's WordNet
labor, labour, working class, proletariat(noun)
a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
"there is a shortage of skilled labor in this field"
labor, labour, toil(noun)
productive work (especially physical work done for wages)
"his labor did not require a great deal of skill"
parturiency, labor, labour, confinement, lying-in, travail, childbed(noun)
concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child
"she was in labor for six hours"
labor movement, trade union movement, labor(noun)
an organized attempt by workers to improve their status by united action (particularly via labor unions) or the leaders of this movement
British Labour Party, Labour Party, Labour, Labor(noun)
a political party formed in Great Britain in 1900; characterized by the promotion of labor's interests and formerly the socialization of key industries
Department of Labor, Labor Department, Labor, DoL(noun)
the federal department responsible for promoting the working conditions of wage earners in the United States; created in 1913
undertaking, project, task, labor(verb)
any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
"he prepared for great undertakings"
tug, labor, labour, push, drive(verb)
strive and make an effort to reach a goal
"She tugged for years to make a decent living"; "We have to push a little to make the deadline!"; "She is driving away at her doctoral thesis"
labor, labour, toil, fag, travail, grind, drudge, dig, moil(verb)
work hard
"She was digging away at her math homework"; "Lexicographers drudge all day long"
labor, labour(verb)
undergo the efforts of childbirth
Kernerman English Learner's Dictionary
labor(noun)ˈeɪbɚ
the workers of a country, company, etc.
the cost of labor; cheap labor; labor negotiations
laborˈeɪbɚ
work
manual labor
laborˈeɪbɚ
when a woman gives birth to a baby
to go into labor; to be in labor; a difficult labor
labor(verb)ˈeɪbɚ
to work hard
He labored day and night to finish the job.
Wiktionary
labor(Noun)
Effort expended on a particular task; toil, work.
labor(Noun)
Workers collectively; the workforce; the working class.
labor(Noun)
The labor union movement; organized labor.
labor(Noun)
The act of a mother giving birth or the time period during which a mother gives birth.
labor(Verb)
spelling of labour; see British/Commonwealth entry for definitions, etymology, pronunciation, translations, etc.
Labor(ProperNoun)
The Australian Labor Party.
Webster Dictionary
Labor(noun)
physical toil or bodily exertion, especially when fatiguing, irksome, or unavoidable, in distinction from sportive exercise; hard, muscular effort directed to some useful end, as agriculture, manufactures, and like; servile toil; exertion; work
Labor(noun)
intellectual exertion; mental effort; as, the labor of compiling a history
Labor(noun)
that which requires hard work for its accomplishment; that which demands effort
Labor(noun)
travail; the pangs and efforts of childbirth
Labor(noun)
any pang or distress
Labor(noun)
the pitching or tossing of a vessel which results in the straining of timbers and rigging
Labor(noun)
a measure of land in Mexico and Texas, equivalent to an area of 177/ acres
Labor(noun)
to exert muscular strength; to exert one's strength with painful effort, particularly in servile occupations; to work; to toil
Labor(noun)
to exert one's powers of mind in the prosecution of any design; to strive; to take pains
Labor(noun)
to be oppressed with difficulties or disease; to do one's work under conditions which make it especially hard, wearisome; to move slowly, as against opposition, or under a burden; to be burdened; -- often with under, and formerly with of
Labor(noun)
to be in travail; to suffer the pangs of childbirth
Labor(noun)
to pitch or roll heavily, as a ship in a turbulent sea
Labor(verb)
to work at; to work; to till; to cultivate by toil
Labor(verb)
to form or fabricate with toil, exertion, or care
Labor(verb)
to prosecute, or perfect, with effort; to urge stre/uously; as, to labor a point or argument
Labor(verb)
to belabor; to beat
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