What does labor mean?
Labor means work done with physical effort, skill, or sustained effort, and it can also refer collectively to workers as an economic or social group. In American English it is especially common in expressions such as labor force, labor market, and labor union, where it often carries political or social significance. As a verb, labor means to work hard, struggle, or make a painstaking effort. The noun has a further specialized meaning in childbirth, referring to the process of labor before delivery. The word derives from Latin labor, the idea from which words such as laborious, collaborate, and laboratory also developed. Its usefulness lies in connecting ordinary work with the broader questions of effort, employment, cooperation, and social organization.
Work performed for wages or as part of an occupation; the workers collectively; or the process of giving birth.
"The company provides training and steady employment for its labor force."
In American English, the collective sense is common in economic and political contexts. The childbirth sense is especially associated with the phrase in labor, while British English normally spells it labour.
To work hard, make a strenuous effort, or struggle under difficult conditions.
"The team labored to finish the project before the deadline."
The verb often conveys sustained, difficult, or painstaking effort. It can also mean to continue with difficulty, as in labor under a burden.
The standard US plural is labors. British English generally uses the spelling labour, with labours as its plural.
"Their many labors finally produced a successful result."
The word collaborate literally means “to work together,” so cooperation begins with labor.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of labor
The word comes from Latin labor, meaning toil, exertion, or work, and was borrowed into English through Old French labour during the medieval period. Its use as a verb developed from the same source, originally emphasizing effort or toil. Related Latin derivatives include laboriosus, from which laborious comes, and forms such as collaborate and elaborate, which literally involve working or laboring.
Related word forms
How labor is actually used
In American English, labor is the standard spelling and is common in political and economic contexts, especially labor force, labor market, and labor union. British English usually spells it labour. In medical usage, labor refers to childbirth, as in in labor; British English more commonly uses in labour. The word can imply effort or hardship, especially in contexts such as toil or labor-intensive.
Easily confused with labor
Labour is the standard British English spelling of labor; it has the same pronunciation and essentially the same meanings.