la·bor (l  b r)n. 1. a. Physical or mental exertion, especially when difficult or exhausting; work. See Synonyms at work. b. Something produced by work. 2. A specific task. 3. A particular form of work or method of working: manual labor. 4. Work for wages. 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 efforts 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. |
labor
Noun
US, Austral & sometimes Canad same as labour
| labor (lbr) The process by which the birth of a mammal occurs, beginning with contractions of the uterus and ending with the expulsion of the fetus and the placenta. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
| 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 industries labor 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" |
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