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   La·bor

   /ˈlābər/

   

   noun

   • 1. work, especially hard physical work: "the price of repairs includes labor and parts" Similar taskjobchoreundertakingmissioncommissionassignment
   • ▪ workers, especially manual workers, considered collectively: "nonunion casual labor" Similar workersemployeesworkmenworkforcestaffworking peopleblue-collar workershandslaborerslabor forcehired handsproletariatwage-earnersmanpowerhuman resourcespersonnelhumorous:livewareOpposite management
   • ▪ manual workers considered as a social class or political force: "the labor movement"
   • ▪ a department of government concerned with a nation's workforce: "Secretary of Labor"
   • 2. (in the UK or Canada) the Labour Party: "the Labour leader"
   • 3. the process of childbirth, especially the period from the start of uterine contractions to delivery: "his wife is in labor" Similar childbirthbirthbirthingdeliverynativitycontractionslabor painslabor pangslabor throestechnical:parturitionarchaic:confinementaccouchementlying-inchildbedtravail

   verb

   • 1. work hard; make great effort: "they labored from dawn to dusk" Similar work (hard)toilslave (away)grub awayplod awaygrind awaysweat awaystrugglestriveexert oneselfoverworkwork one's fingers to the bonework like a Trojan/dog/slavekeep one's nose to the grindstoneinformal:slog awaykill oneselfplug awayput one's back into somethingpeg awaygraftarchaic:drudgetravailmoilOpposite restrelaxlaze
   • ▪ work at an unskilled manual occupation: "he was eking out an existence by laboring"
   • ▪ till (the ground): archaic "the land belonged to him who labored it"
   • 2. have difficulty in doing something despite working hard: "Coley labored against confident opponents" Similar strivestruggleendeavorworktry hardmake every effortdo one's bestdo one's utmostdo all one cangive (it/something) one's allgo all outfightpushbe at painsput oneself outapply oneselfexert oneselfinformal:bend/fall/lean over backwardsgive it one's best shotpull out all the stops
   • ▪ move or proceed with difficulty: "they labored up a steep, tortuous track"
   • ▪ (of an engine) work noisily and with difficulty: "the wheels churned, the engine laboring"
   • ▪ (of a ship) roll or pitch heavily: "the seas ran high, and the ship labored hard"
   • 3. (of a woman in childbirth) be in labor: "she labored very well and comfortably because she was relaxed"

   Word Origin Middle English: from Old French labour (noun), labourer (verb), both from Latin labor ‘toil, trouble’.

   Scrabble Points: 7

   • L

     1

   • A

     1

   • B

     3

   • O

     1

   • R

     1

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