labour
LAY-buh
Also spelled labor (US spelling)
Labour (noun) means Hard physical or mental effort put into a task; work. Example: “Building the stone wall by hand was slow, exhausting labour.”
noun
1
Hard physical or mental effort put into a task; work.
"Building the stone wall by hand was slow, exhausting labour."
"Years of labour went into restoring the old cottage."
"The harvest is a labour of love for the whole family."
2
Workers as a group, especially the working class, or a political movement representing them.
"The factory struggled to find enough skilled labour last winter."
"Cheap labour was once the main reason firms moved production abroad."
"The strike drew support from labour unions across the country."
3
The process of childbirth, including the contractions leading up to it.
"Her labour began in the middle of the night, so they rushed to hospital."
"The midwife stayed calm throughout the long labour."
"She was in labour for almost fourteen hours before the baby arrived."
verb
1
To work hard at something, or to move forward with great effort or difficulty.
"The old engine laboured as the lorry climbed the hill."
"He laboured up the steep hill carrying two heavy bags."
"She laboured over every sentence of her thesis."
How to use labour
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishHard work in general, workers as a group, a political party representing them, or the process of giving birth.
UK vs US
British spelling; American English uses "labor." The UK's Labour Party keeps this spelling regardless of context.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
manual labour
labour force
in labour
Labour Party
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Word forms
- Plural
- labours
- Third person singular
- labours
- Past tense
- laboured
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Building the stone wall by hand was slow, exhausting _____.
Etymology
From Old French labor and Latin labor, both meaning "work" or "toil."
Synonyms
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Rhymes for labour
See all rhymes for labour →Frequently asked questions
What does “labour” mean?
The word “labour” means hard physical or mental effort put into a task; work. In plain terms, hard work in general, workers as a group, a political party representing them, or the process of giving birth.
How do you pronounce “labour”?
“Labour” is pronounced LAY-buh (/ˈleɪ.bɚ/ in IPA).
How do you use “labour” in a sentence?
Here is “labour” used in a sentence: “Years of labour went into restoring the old cottage.”
What is another word for “labour”?
Words with a similar meaning to “labour” include swink, toil and work.
What part of speech is “labour”?
Depending on how it is used, “labour” can be a noun and a verb.
Where does the word “labour” come from?
The word “labour” comes from Latin. From Old French labor and Latin labor, both meaning "work" or "toil.".
Is “labour” a common word?
“Labour” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “labour” have?
“Labour” has 4 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: hard physical or mental effort put into a task; work.
What is the difference between labour and work?
'Work' is any activity done to achieve a result and can be light or hard, physical or mental. 'Labour' stresses hard, tiring, often physical effort. All labour is work, but not all work is labour — answering emails is work, while digging a ditch is labour.
What is the difference between 'labour' and 'labor'?
They are the same word with different spellings. 'Labour' is the British and Commonwealth spelling, used across the UK, Australia, and Canada. 'Labor' is the American spelling. The meaning and pronunciation are identical; only the presence of the letter 'u' changes between the two.
What are the other meanings of labour?
Beyond hard effort, 'labour' can mean the workforce as a whole, as in 'the cost of labour' or a shortage of skilled labour. It also names the final stage of pregnancy, when a woman gives birth — 'she went into labour.' Context makes the intended sense clear.
What is an example of 'labour' in a sentence?
'The beautiful garden was the result of years of labour' means years of hard, sustained effort went into it. Other examples include 'the job involves heavy manual labour' and 'their labour finally paid off,' each pointing to demanding physical or mental work.
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