all manual workers whose work is characterized largely by physical exertion
4.
labor unions collectively
5.
the work accomplished by or the role in production of all workers, esp. workers for wages
6. [L-]
Labor Party
7. Medicine
the process or period of childbirth; parturition; esp., the muscular contractions of giving birth
verb intransitive
8.
to work; toil
9.
to work hard; exert oneself to get or do something; strive
10.
a.
to move slowly and with difficulty
the car labored up the hill
b.
to pitch and roll heavily
the ship labored in the rough sea
11.
to be afflicted or burdened with a liability or limitation (with under)
to labor under a delusion
12.
to undergo, and suffer the pains of, childbirth
verb transitive
13.
to spend too much time and effort on; develop in too great detail
to labor a point
Word origin
OFr < L, labor, orig., hardship, pain, prob. < base of labi, to slip, totter: see lap1
Examples of 'labor' in a sentence
labor
Watching them labor, making no sound of complaint, Joe could not help the shameful thought that perhaps it was better they felt nothing.
Clive Barker EVERVILLE (2001)
Lawrence yelled Arleen's name, and stepped forward to pull the brute from his labor.
Clive Barker THE GREAT AND SECRET SHOW (2001)
She returned to the labor of descent determined not to look up at the sky again, whether she heard cries or no.
Clive Barker SACRAMENT (2001)
From the looks of things around the toi, male and female labor among the Karadeenwas divided along fairly traditional roles.
Bart Davis DESTROY THE KENTUCKY (2001)
All related terms of 'labor'
labour
Labour is very hard work, usually physical work.
Labor Day
In the United States, Labor Day is a public holiday in honour of working people. It is the first Monday in September.
child labor
the regular , full-time employment of children under a legally defined age in factories , stores , offices, etc.: in the U.S., the minimum legal age under federal law is 16 (in hazardous occupations , 18)
hard labor
compulsory physical labor imposed , together with imprisonment, as a punishment for some crimes
labor camp
a camp for confining political prisoners , prisoners of war, dissidents , etc., who are forced to perform physical labor
labor force
The labor force consists of all the people who are able to work in a country or area, or all the people who work for a particular company .
Labor Party
one of the chief political parties of Australia , generally supporting the interests of organized labour
labor union
A labor union is an organization that represents the rights and interests of workers to their employers , for example in order to improve working conditions or wages .
slave labor
Slave labor refers to slaves or to work done by slaves.
stoop labor
work done by stooping , as in picking fruit from low-growing plants
labor market
When you talk about the labor market , you are referring to all the people who are able to work and want jobs in a country or area, in relation to the number of jobs there are available in that country or area.
labor-saving
eliminating or lessening physical labor
labor-intensive
requiring a large labor force and a relatively small investment in capital goods
labor relations
the relations between management and labor, esp. with respect to the maintenance of agreements , collective bargaining, etc
organized labor
all workers who are organized in labor unions
labor of love
work done for personal satisfaction or altruistic reasons rather than for material gain
labour ward
a ward or department of a hospital for the care and admission of women in the process of childbirth
Socialist Labor Party
(in the US) a minor Marxist party founded in 1876
labour costs
the charges incurred when employing labour ; the wages , etc, paid to workers , esp those employed to do physical work
labour pains
the pains felt during the contractions of childbirth
labour force
The labour force consists of all the people who are able to work in a country or area, or all the people who work for a particular company .
labour market
When you talk about the labour market , you are referring to all the people who are able to work and want jobs in a country or area, in relation to the number of jobs there are available in that country or area.
labour unrest
unrest or dissatisfaction displayed by workers , often in the form of strikes , and sometimes violent disputes , etc, which disrupts normal business
Labour movement
→ the Labour movement
American Federation of Labor
the first permanent national labour movement in America, founded in 1886. It amalgamated with the Congress of Industrial Organizations in 1955
National Labor Relations Board
an independent US government agency that mediates disputes between trade unions and management
Chinese translation of 'labor'
labor
(ˈleɪbəʳ) (US)
n
=labour
labour
or (US) labor
(ˈleɪbəʳ)
n(u)
(= hard work) 劳(勞)动(動) (láodòng)
⇒ the culmination of fifteen months' labour15个月劳动的终结 (shíwǔ gè yuè láodòng de zhōngjié)
(= manpower) 劳(勞)动(動)力 (láodònglì)
⇒ a shortage of skilled labour熟练劳动力的缺乏 (shúliàn láodònglì de quēfá)
(Ind, = work done by work force) 工作 (gōngzuò)
⇒ They are threatening a withdrawal of labour.他们威胁要撤回完成的工作。 (Tāmen wēixié yào chèhuí wánchéng de gōngzuò.)
(Med) 分娩 (fēnmiǎn)
Labour (= Labour Party) 工党(黨) (Gōngdǎng)
adj
Labour[politician, voter]工党(黨) (Gōngdǎng)
vi
to labour to do sth不辞(辭)辛劳(勞)地做某事 (bùcí xīnláo de zuò mǒushì)
vt
to labour a point一再重复(複) (yīzài chóngfù)
to labour under a delusion/an illusion抱着(著)错(錯)觉(覺)不放 (bàozhe cuòjué bù fàng)
to be in labour (Med) 处(處)于(於)阵(陣)痛期 (chǔyú zhèntòng qī)