Definitions for labor
ˈleɪ bərla·bor

Princeton's WordNet(3.93 / 24 votes)Rate this definition:

1. 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"

2. labor, labour, toil(noun)

   productive work (especially physical work done for wages)

   "his labor did not require a great deal of skill"

3. 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"

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. undertaking, project, task, labor(verb)

   any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted

   "he prepared for great undertakings"

8. 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"

9. 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"

10. labor, labour(verb)

    undergo the efforts of childbirth

Wiktionary(2.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. labor(Noun)

   Effort expended on a particular task; toil, work.

2. labor(Noun)

   Workers collectively; the workforce; the working class.

3. labor(Noun)

   The labor union movement; organized labor.

4. labor(Noun)

   The act of a mother giving birth or the time period during which a mother gives birth.

5. labor(Verb)

   spelling of labour; see British/Commonwealth entry for definitions, etymology, pronunciation, translations, etc.

6. Labor(ProperNoun)

   The Australian Labor Party.

Webster Dictionary(4.00 / 3 votes)Rate this definition:

1. 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

   Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

2. Labor(noun)

   intellectual exertion; mental effort; as, the labor of compiling a history

   Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

3. Labor(noun)

   that which requires hard work for its accomplishment; that which demands effort

   Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

4. Labor(noun)

   travail; the pangs and efforts of childbirth

   Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

5. Labor(noun)

   any pang or distress

   Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

6. Labor(noun)

   the pitching or tossing of a vessel which results in the straining of timbers and rigging

   Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

7. Labor(noun)

   a measure of land in Mexico and Texas, equivalent to an area of 177/ acres

   Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

8. Labor(noun)

   to exert muscular strength; to exert one's strength with painful effort, particularly in servile occupations; to work; to toil

   Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

9. Labor(noun)

   to exert one's powers of mind in the prosecution of any design; to strive; to take pains

   Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

10. 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

    Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

11. Labor(noun)

    to be in travail; to suffer the pangs of childbirth

    Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

12. Labor(noun)

    to pitch or roll heavily, as a ship in a turbulent sea

    Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

13. Labor(verb)

    to work at; to work; to till; to cultivate by toil

    Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

14. Labor(verb)

    to form or fabricate with toil, exertion, or care

    Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

15. Labor(verb)

    to prosecute, or perfect, with effort; to urge stre/uously; as, to labor a point or argument

    Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

16. Labor(verb)

    to belabor; to beat

    Etymology: [OE. labouren, F. labourer, L. laborare. See Labor, n.]

Editors Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. labor

   The act and process of work or employment.

   The local labor laws were very effective.

   Submitted by MaryC on March 8, 2020  

Anagrams for labor »

1. lobar

2. Balor

How to pronounce labor?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say labor in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of labor in Chaldean Numerology is: 6

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of labor in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of labor in a Sentence

1. Paul Paz:

   Given the age and maturity of a large portion of our labor pool, it’s possible that many (servers) are not in tune with cultural sensitivity, or just write down the first thing that may pop into their head, which can create a lot of problems.

2. Og Mandino:

   The great difference between those who succeed and those who fail does not consist in the amount of work done by each but in the amount of intelligent work. Many of those who fail most ignominiously do enough to achieve grand success but they labor haphazardly at whatever they are assigned, building up with one hand to tear down with the other. They do not grasp circumstances and change them into opportunities. They have no faculty for turning honest defeats into telling victories. With ability enough and ample time, the major ingredients of success, they are forever throwing back and forth an empty shuttle and the real web of their life is never woven.

3. Edward Taylor:

   U.S. and Mexican farmers have to compete for that diminishing supply of farm labor, once this change hits, there's no going back.

4. Ted Cruz:

   The facts are we’re facing now a divided America when it comes to the economy, it’s true that the top 1 percent are doing great under Barack Obama. Today, the top 1 percent earn a higher share of the national income than any year since 1928. The sad reality is that with big government, under the Obama administration, the rich and powerful in the Obama administration have gotten fat and happy. But working men and women across the country, we have the lowest labor force participation since 1978.

5. Nick Economou:

   If Labor was to lose that, it'd be a huge fillip for Turnbull, on the other hand, if Labor was to win with an increased majority, that would be a sign that there's a problem for the government.

Images & Illustrations of labor

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