labor

/ˈleɪbər/

/ˈleɪbə/

Other forms: labors; labored; laboring

Although the word labor seems to suggest tough, physical work that makes you sweat, any type of work, whether physical or mental, can be considered labor.

Labor is usually associated with very hard, physical work, suggesting fatigue and aching muscles. In fact, a woman giving birth is said to be in labor, giving true meaning to the phrase "labor of love." The word can also be used as a verb, as in "He had to labor many years to pay off his debt." That sense of hard work fits in with the Labor Party of some nations, a party generally favored by and supporting the working class.

Definitions of labor

1. noun

   any piece of work that is undertaken or attempted
   synonyms: project, task, undertaking

   examples:

   Manhattan Project

   code name for the secret United States project set up in 1942 to develop atomic bombs for use in World War II

   types:

   breeze, child's play, cinch, duck soup, picnic, piece of cake, pushover, snap, walkover

   any undertaking that is easy to do

   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

   endeavor, endeavour, enterprise

   a purposeful or industrious undertaking (especially one that requires effort or boldness)

   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

   large order, tall order

   a formidable task or requirement

   venture

   any venturesome undertaking especially one with an uncertain outcome

   doddle

   an easy task

   school assignment, schoolwork

   a school task performed by a student to satisfy the teacher

   fraudulent scheme, illegitimate enterprise, racket

   an illegal enterprise (such as extortion or fraud or drug peddling or prostitution) carried on for profit

   joint venture

   a venture by a partnership or conglomerate designed to share risk or expertise

   experiment

   a venture at something new or different

   forlorn hope

   a hopeless or desperate enterprise

   writing assignment, written assignment

   an assignment to write something

   campaign, cause, crusade, drive, effort, movement

   a series of actions advancing a principle or tending toward a particular end

   sally, sallying forth

   a venture off the beaten path

   danger, peril, risk

   a venture undertaken without regard to possible loss or injury

   business activity, commercial activity

   activity undertaken as part of a commercial enterprise

   type of:

   work

   activity directed toward making or doing something
2. noun

   productive work (especially physical work done for wages)
   “his labor did not require a great deal of skill”

   synonyms: labour, toil

   types:

   roping

   capturing cattle or horses with a lasso

   corvee

   unpaid labor (as for the maintenance of roads) required by a lord of his vassals in lieu of taxes

   donkeywork, drudgery, grind, plodding

   hard monotonous routine work

   effort, elbow grease, exertion, sweat, travail

   use of physical or mental energy; hard work

   hunt, hunting

   the work of finding and killing or capturing animals for food or pelts

   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

   slavery

   work done under harsh conditions for little or no pay

   calf roping

   capturing a calf with a lasso and binding its feet

   steer roping

   capturing a steer with a lasso

   canned hunt

   a hunt for animals that have been raised on game ranches until they are mature enough to be killed for trophy collections

   struggle

   strenuous effort

   difficulty, trouble

   an effort that is inconvenient

   least effort, least resistance

   the least effortful way to do something

   strain, straining

   an intense or violent exertion

   exercise, exercising, physical exercise, physical exertion, workout

   the activity of exerting your muscles in various ways to keep fit

   pull

   a sustained effort

   application, diligence

   a diligent effort

   overkill

   any effort that seems to go farther than would be necessary to achieve its goal

   supererogation

   an effort above and beyond the call of duty

   overexertion

   excessive exertion; so much exertion that discomfort or injury results

   stalk, stalking, still hunt

   a hunt for game carried on by following it stealthily or waiting in ambush

   birdnesting

   hunting for birds' nests to get the eggs

   predation

   the act of preying by a predator who kills and eats the prey

   detrition, friction, rubbing

   effort expended in moving one object over another with pressure

   application, coating, covering

   the work of applying something

   bodywork

   the work of making or repairing vehicle bodies

   handling

   manual (or mechanical) carrying or moving or delivering or working with something

   picking

   the act of picking (crops or fruit or hops etc.)

   planking

   the work of covering an area with planks

   wiring

   the work of installing the wires for an electrical system or device

   type of:

   work

   activity directed toward making or doing something
3. noun

   an organized attempt by workers to improve their status by united action (particularly via labor unions) or the leaders of this movement
   synonyms: labor movement, trade union movement

   types:

   I.W.W., IWW, Industrial Workers of the World

   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

   type of:

   reform movement

   a movement intended to bring about social and humanitarian reforms
4. noun

   a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
   “there is a shortage of skilled labor in this field”

   synonyms: labour, proletariat, working class

   types:

   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

   type of:

   class, social class, socio-economic class, stratum

   people having the same social, economic, or educational status
5. verb

   strive and make an effort to reach a goal
   synonyms: drive, labour, push, tug

   bear on, push

   press, drive, or impel (someone) to action or completion of an action

   types:

   reach, strain, strive

   to exert much effort or energy

   extend oneself

   strain to the utmost

   kill oneself, overexert oneself

   strain oneself more than is healthy

   bother, inconvenience oneself, trouble, trouble oneself

   take the trouble to do something; concern oneself

   type of:

   fight, struggle

   make a strenuous or labored effort
6. verb

   work hard
   synonyms: dig, drudge, fag, grind, labour, moil, toil, travail

   type of:

   do work, work

   be employed
7. noun

   concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child
   “she was in labor for six hours”

   synonyms: childbed, confinement, labour, lying-in, parturiency, travail

   types:

   premature labor, premature labour

   labor beginning prior to the 37th week of gestation

   type of:

   birth, birthing, giving birth, parturition

   the process of giving birth
8. verb

   undergo the efforts of childbirth
   synonyms: labour

   type of:

   undergo

   pass through