labour

noun

/ˈleɪbə(r)/

/ˈleɪbər/

(US English labor)

Idioms

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work

[uncountable] work, especially physical work

manual labour (= work using your hands)
The price will include the labour and materials.
The company wants to keep down labour costs.
The workers voted to withdraw their labour (= to stop work as a means of protest).
a fair division of labour between men and women

see also bonded labour, forced labour, hard labour, slave labour

Extra Examples

The miners are threatening to withdraw their labour.
These women were generally accustomed to hard manual labour.

Topics Businessb2

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

manual
physical
back-breaking
…

verb + labour/labor

withdraw

labour/labor + noun

productivity
camp

See full entry

[countable, usually plural] (formal) a task or period of work

He was so exhausted from the day's labours that he went straight to bed.
People look forward to enjoying the fruits of their labours during retirement.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

manual
physical
back-breaking
…

verb + labour/labor

withdraw

labour/labor + noun

productivity
camp

See full entry

people who work

[uncountable] the people who work or are available for work in a country or company

forced/slave labour
a shortage of labour
Companies are making huge profits by exploiting cheap labour in poor countries.
There is a growing demand for skilled labour.
New labour laws make it more difficult for employers to sack workers.
good labour relations (= the relationship between workers and employers)

having baby

[uncountable, countable, usually singular] the period of time or the process of giving birth to a baby

in labour Jane was in labour for ten hours.
She went into labour early.
labour pains
It was a difficult labour.

Wordfinder

birth
breech birth
caesarean section
contraction
deliver
induce
labour
midwife
obstetrics
umbilical cord

Extra Examples

Older women tend to have more difficult labours.
She went into labour two weeks early.
The baby was born after a long labour.
women at risk of preterm labour
Labour was induced when the baby was ten days overdue.

Topics Life stagesc2

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

difficult
easy
long
…

verb + labour/labor

go into
induce

labour/labor + noun

room
ward
pains
…

preposition

in labour

See full entry

politics

Labour

[singular + singular or plural verb]

(abbreviation Lab.)

the British Labour Party

He always votes Labour.
Labour was/were in power for many years.

Topics Politicsb2

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French labour (noun), labourer (verb), both from Latin labor ‘toil, trouble’.

Idioms

a labour of love

a hard task that you do because you want to, not because it is necessary
- Writing the book was a labour of love.

labour

verb

/ˈleɪbə(r)/

/ˈleɪbər/

(US English labor)

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they labour	/ˈleɪbə(r)/ /ˈleɪbər/
he / she / it labours	/ˈleɪbəz/ /ˈleɪbərz/
past simple laboured	/ˈleɪbəd/ /ˈleɪbərd/
past participle laboured	/ˈleɪbəd/ /ˈleɪbərd/
-ing form labouring	/ˈleɪbərɪŋ/ /ˈleɪbərɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

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struggle

[intransitive] to try very hard to do something difficult

labour (away) He was in his study labouring away over some old papers.
labour to do something They laboured for years to clear their son's name.

work hard

[intransitive] to do hard physical work

We laboured all day in the fields.
(old-fashioned) the labouring classes (= the working class)

move with difficulty

[intransitive] (+ adv./prep.) to move with difficulty and effort synonym struggle

The horses laboured up the steep slope.
With engine labouring, the car struggled up the hill.

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French labour (noun), labourer (verb), both from Latin labor ‘toil, trouble’.

Idioms

labour the point

to continue to repeat or explain something that has already been said and understood
- I understand what you’re saying—there’s no need to labour the point.