n. 1 toil, (hard) work, travail, exertion, effort, laboriousness, strain, drudgery, pains, industry, slavery, donkey-work, Colloq sweat, grind, elbow-grease, Brit swot They know the labour involved in building a road 2 employees, workers, wage-earners, labourers A meeting between labour and management is scheduled for today 3 effort, task, job, chore, undertaking Raising funds for the museum was a labour of love 4 travail, childbirth, parturition, labour pains, contractions, delivery She went into labour at midnight, and the twins were born just after four
v. 5 work, toil, travail, drudge, strain, strive, struggle, slave, Colloq sweat, grind, Brit peg away (at), swot We laboured hard to get where we are today 6 dwell on, overdo, overemphasize, harp on, overstress, strain, Colloq belabour I heard you the first time, so don't labour the point 7 labour under. be burdened or troubled or distressed by, be deluded or deceived by, be disadvantaged by, suffer, endure He is labouring under a misapprehension She labours under the impression that she will not be affected by a lack of education.