Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense belabours, present participle belabouring, past tense, past participle belabouredregional note: in AM, use belabor
1. verb
If you belabour someone or something, you hit them hard and repeatedly.
[old-fashioned]
Men began to belabour his shoulders, his head, his arms with sticks. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: beat, hit, strike, knock More Synonyms of belabour
2. verb
If you say that someone belabours the point, you mean that they keep on talking about it, perhaps in an annoying or boring way.
I won't belabour the point, for this is a familiar story. [VERB noun]
More Synonyms of belabour
belabour in British English
or US belabor (bɪˈleɪbə)
verb(transitive)
1.
to beat severely; thrash
2.
to attack verbally; criticize harshly
3. an obsolete word for labour
Examples of 'belabour' in a sentence
belabour
Bear just likes to show he can count and then belabour the point.
Tepper, Sheri S. A PLAGUE OF ANGELS
He felt its sharp wooden edge cut into his spine, as men began to belabour his shoulders, his head, his arms with sticks.
Leasor, James TANK OF SERPENTS
1 (verb)
Definition
to attack verbally or physically
Men began to belabour his shoulders with sticks.
Synonyms
beat
He lost the boxing match and was badly beaten by his opponent.
hit
She hit him hard across his left arm.
strike
She took two steps forward and struck him across the mouth.
knock
He was mucking around and he knocked her in the stomach.
punch
After punching him on the chin, she hit him over the head.
belt (informal)
Is it true that she belted George in the stomach?
whip
Eyewitnesses claimed he whipped the horse up to 16 times.
deck (slang)
batter
He battered his opponent around the head.
thrash
He was thrashed with a cane until his skin turned red.
pound
He pounded the table with his fist.
flog
He never flogs his horse no matter how slowly she goes.
clobber (slang)
She clobbered him with a vase.
tonk (informal)
cudgel
He was beaten, cudgelled, and subjected to various dangers.
thwack
He just thwacked me on the back of the head with a ruler.
lambast(e)
lay one on (slang)
drub
beat or knock seven bells out of (informal)
2 (verb)
Definition
to attack verbally or physically
They have been belaboured on all sides for withdrawing from the cup.
Synonyms
attack
He publicly attacked the people who've been calling for a secret ballot.
blast
They have blasted the report.
put down
criticize
His mother had rarely criticized him or any of her children.
have a go (at) (informal)
censure
I would not presume to censure him for his views.
malign
We maligned him dreadfully, assuming the very worst about him.
berate
Marion berated Joe for the noise he made.
castigate
She castigated him for having no intellectual interests.
revile
What right had the crowd to revile them?
vilify
He was vilified and forced into exile.
flame (informal)
tear into (informal)
lay into (informal)
flay
The critics flayed him with accusations of misanthropy.