labor
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Legal, Financial, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
la·bor
(lā′bər)n.
1. Physical or mental exertion, especially when difficult or exhausting; work. See Synonyms at work.
2. A specific task or effort, especially a painful or arduous one: "Eating the bread was a labor I put myself through to quiet my stomach" (Gail Anderson-Dargatz).
3. A particular form of work or method of working: manual labor.
4. Work for wages: businesses paying more for labor.
5.
a. Workers considered as a group.
b. The trade union movement, especially its officials.
6. Labor A political party representing workers' interests, especially in Great Britain.
7. The process by which childbirth occurs, beginning with contractions of the uterus and ending with the expulsion of the fetus or infant and the placenta.
v. la·bored, la·bor·ing, la·bors
v.intr.
1. To work; toil: labored in the fields.
2. To strive painstakingly: labored over the needlepoint.
3.
a. To proceed with great effort; plod: labored up the hill.
b. Nautical To pitch and roll.
4. To suffer from distress or a disadvantage: labored under the misconception that others were cooperating.
5. To undergo the labor of childbirth.
v.tr.
1. To deal with in exhaustive or excessive detail; belabor: labor a point in the argument.
2. To distress; burden: I will not labor you with trivial matters.
adj.
1. Of or relating to labor.
2. Labor Of or relating to a Labor Party.
[Middle English, from Old French labour, from Latin labor.]
la′bor·er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
labor
(ˈleɪbə)vb, n
the US spelling of labour
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
la•bor
(ˈleɪ bər)n.
1. productive activity, esp. for the sake of economic gain.
2. the body of persons engaged in such activity, esp. those working for wages.
3. this body of persons considered as a class (distinguished from management).
4. physical or mental work, esp. of a hard or fatiguing kind.
5. a job or task done or to be done.
6.
v.i. a. the uterine contractions of childbirth.
b. the interval from the onset of these contractions to childbirth.
7. to perform labor; work.
8. to strive, as toward a goal; work hard (often fol. by for): to labor for peace.
9. to move slowly and with effort.
10. to function at a disadvantage (usu. fol. by under): to labor under a misapprehension.
11. to undergo childbirth.
12. to roll or pitch heavily, as a ship.
v.t. 13. to develop or dwell on in excessive detail: Don't labor the point.
14. to burden or tire.
adj. 15. of or pertaining to workers, their associations, or working conditions: labor reforms.
Also, esp. Brit., labour. [1250–1300; Middle English < Middle French < Latin labor]
la′bor•er, n.
syn: See work.
usage: See -or1.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
la·bor
(lā′bər) The process by which the birth of a mammal occurs, beginning with contractions of the uterus and ending with the delivery of the fetus or infant and the placenta.
The American Heritage® Student Science Dictionary, Second Edition. Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
labor
Past participle: labored
Gerund: laboring
| Imperative |
|---|
| labor |
| labor |
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
| Noun | 1. |  labor - a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages; "there is a shortage of skilled labor in this field"social class, socio-economic class, stratum, class - people having the same social, economic, or educational status; "the working class"; "an emerging professional class" labor force, labor pool - the source of trained people from which workers can be hired lumpenproletariat - (Marxism) the unorganized lower levels of the proletariat who are not interested in revolutionary advancement organized labor - employees who are represented by a labor union prole, proletarian, worker - a member of the working class (not necessarily employed); "workers of the world--unite!" |
| 2. |  labor - productive work (especially physical work done for wages); "his labor did not require a great deal of skill"roping - capturing cattle or horses with a lasso work - activity directed toward making or doing something; "she checked several points needing further work" corvee - unpaid labor (as for the maintenance of roads) required by a lord of his vassals in lieu of taxes elbow grease, exertion, effort, travail, sweat - use of physical or mental energy; hard work; "he got an A for effort"; "they managed only with great exertion" hackwork - professional work done according to formula haymaking - cutting grass and curing it to make hay manual labor, manual labour - labor done with the hands overwork, overworking - the act of working too much or too long; "he became ill from overwork" slavery - work done under harsh conditions for little or no pay | |
| 3. |  labor - concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child; "she was in labor for six hours"uterine contraction - a rhythmic tightening in labor of the upper uterine musculature that contracts the size of the uterus and pushes the fetus toward the birth canal effacement - shortening of the uterine cervix and thinning of its walls as it is dilated during labor maternity, pregnancy, gestation - the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth when a woman carries a developing fetus in her uterus premature labor, premature labour - labor beginning prior to the 37th week of gestation asynclitism, obliquity - the presentation during labor of the head of the fetus at an abnormal angle | |
| 4. |  labor - an organized attempt by workers to improve their status by united action (particularly via labor unions) or the leaders of this movementlabor union, trade union, trades union, union, brotherhood - an organization of employees formed to bargain with the employer; "you have to join the union in order to get a job" I.W.W., Industrial Workers of the World, IWW - a former international labor union and radical labor movement in the United States; founded in Chicago in 1905 and dedicated to the overthrow of capitalism; its membership declined after World War I trade unionism, unionism - the system or principles and theory of labor unions reform movement - a movement intended to bring about social and humanitarian reforms | |
| 5. |  Labor - a political party formed in Great Britain in 1900; characterized by the promotion of labor's interests and formerly the socialization of key industrieslabor party, labour party - a left-of-center political party formed to represent the interest of ordinary working people Labourite - a member of the British Labour Party | |
| 6. |  Labor - the federal department responsible for promoting the working conditions of wage earners in the United States; created in 1913executive department - a federal department in the executive branch of the government of the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA - a government agency in the Department of Labor to maintain a safe and healthy work environment | |
| 7. |  labor - any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted; "he prepared for great undertakings"child's play, cinch, duck soup, piece of cake, pushover, breeze, walkover, picnic, snap - any undertaking that is easy to do; "marketing this product will be no picnic" work - activity directed toward making or doing something; "she checked several points needing further work" adventure, dangerous undertaking, escapade, risky venture - a wild and exciting undertaking (not necessarily lawful) assignment - an undertaking that you have been assigned to do (as by an instructor) baby - a project of personal concern to someone; "this project is his baby" endeavor, endeavour, enterprise - a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness); "he had doubts about the whole enterprise" labor of love, labour of love - productive work performed voluntarily without material reward or compensation endurance contest, marathon - any long and arduous undertaking no-brainer - anything that requires little thought proposition - a task to be dealt with; "securing adequate funding is a time-consuming proposition" large order, tall order - a formidable task or requirement; "finishing in time was a tall order but we did it" venture - any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome | |
| Verb | 1. |  labor - 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" |
| 2. |  labor - work hard; "She was digging away at her math homework"; "Lexicographers drudge all day long" | |
| 3. | labor - undergo the efforts of childbirth undergo - pass through; "The chemical undergoes a sudden change"; "The fluid undergoes shear"; "undergo a strange sensation" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
labor
noun1. Physical exertion that is usually difficult and exhausting:
Informal: sweat.
Chiefly British: fag.
Idiom: sweat of one's brow.
2. The act or process of bringing forth young:
1. To exert one's mental or physical powers, usually under difficulty and to the point of exhaustion:
Idiom: break one's back.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
práce
arbejde
työ
rad
労働
노동
delavcidelo
arbete
แรงงาน
lao động
labor
[ˈleɪbəʳ] (US)A. N, VT, VI = labour
B. CPD Labor Day N → Día m del Trabajo or de los Trabajadores
labor union N → sindicato m
labor union N → sindicato m
LABOR DAY
El Labor Day (Día del Trabajo or de los Trabajadores) es una festividad nacional en honor al trabajo, que se celebra en Estados Unidos y en Canadá el primer lunes de septiembre. Fue instaurada en 1894 por el Congreso de los Estados Unidos, después de que los trabajadores la solicitaran durante más de doce años. En la actualidad, ya sin las connotaciones políticas de sus orígenes y coincidiendo con el final del verano y con el principio del curso escolar, se celebran desfiles, mítines y comidas campestres.
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005
labour
(American) labor (ˈleibə) noun1. hard work. The building of the cathedral involved considerable labour over two centuries; People engaged in manual labour are often badly paid.
2. workmen on a job. The firm is having difficulty hiring labour.
3. (in a pregnant woman etc) the process of childbirth. She was in labour for several hours before the baby was born.
4. used (with capital) as a name for the Socialist party in the United Kingdom.
verb1. to be employed to do hard and unskilled work. He spends the summer labouring on a building site.
2. to move or work etc slowly or with difficulty. They laboured through the deep undergrowth in the jungle; the car engine labours a bit on steep hills.
laborious (ləˈboːriəs) adjective difficult; requiring hard work. Moving house is always a laborious process.
laˈboriously adverblaˈboriousness noun
ˈlabourer noun
a workman who is employed to do heavy work requiring little skill. the labourers on a building site.
ˈlabour court noun a court of law for settling disputes between management and workers.
ˈlabour dispute noun a disagreement between management and workers about working conditions, pay etc.
ˈlabour-saving adjective intended to lessen work. washing-machines and other labour-saving devices.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
labor
→ عَمَلٌ práce arbejde Arbeit μόχθος mano de obra työ travail rad lavoro 労働 노동 arbeid arbeid praca mão-de-obra труд arbete แรงงาน emek lao động 劳动Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009
la·bor
, stages of laborn. parto;
active ___ → ___ activo;
after ___ → después del ___;
before ___ → antes del ___;
complicated ___ → ___ complicado;
contractions during ___ → contracciones durante el ___;
dry ___ → ___ seco;
during ___ → durante el ___;
hard ___ → ___ laborioso;
induction of ___ → ___ inducido;
___ pains → dolores de ___;
___ room → sala de ___;
painless ___ → ___ sin dolor;
stages of ___ → etapas del ___;
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
labor
n trabajo de parto; — and delivery trabajo de parto y parto; Labor and Delivery sala de partos; labor pains dolores mpl de(l) parto; to be in — estar de parto, estar en trabajo de parto; to go into — ponerse de parto, entrar en trabajo de partoEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.