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📕 rednote ID(小红书号)：3881567312

Labor: Meaning, Examples, and Usage (2 meaning)

Meaning 1：physical work (labor)

labor 🔊

/ˈleɪbər/

n. & v.

Work that needs a lot of physical effort, or the act of doing such work. Also means to work hard.

Labor meaning: construction worker lifting heavy block

physical work 🔊

➕

/ˈfɪzɪkəl wɜːrk/

n. & v.

Labor refers to strenuous physical or mental effort, especially work that requires significant energy or endurance.

📁 Category：Behaviors & Actions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

From Latin 'labor' meaning 'work, toil'. Root 'lab-' relates to effort and exertion.

💡 Mnemonic

Imagine 'lab' (laboratory) + 'or': scientists work hard in a lab. Link to physical effort.

📖 Example

The construction workers are engaged in hard physical labor under the sun. 🔊 The construction workers are engaged in hard physical labor under the sun.

🔗 Collocations

hard labor – Strenuous physical work, often as punishment

manual labor – Work done with the hands or physical strength

labor force – The total number of workers available for employment

🔄 Synonyms

toil (n.) – Continuous hard work, especially of a tiring kind

work (n.) – Activity involving effort, done to achieve a purpose

effort (n.) – Strenuous physical or mental exertion

🚫 Antonyms

rest (n.) – Cease from work or movement; relaxation

leisure (n.) – Time free from work or duties

🌱 Derivatives

laborer (n.) – A person who does physical work

laborious (adj.) – Requiring great effort and time

labored (adj.) – Done with great effort; strained

📖 Cultural Story

Originating from Latin 'labor' (toil, hardship), the word entered Old French as 'labour' and then Middle English. It was heavily used during the Industrial Revolution to describe manual factory work.

Meaning 2：workforce (labor)

labor 🔊

/ˈleɪbər/

n. & v.

Workers considered as a group; the people who work for a company or in a country.

workforce 🔊

➕

/ˈwɜːrkfɔːrs/

n. & v.

Labor collectively refers to all people who work for an organization, industry, or country, especially those performing manual or industrial jobs.

📁 Category：Social Economy 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Example

The new factory will create jobs for hundreds of skilled labor in our community. 🔊 The new factory will create jobs for hundreds of skilled labor in our community.

🔗 Collocations

skilled labor – Workers who have specialized training or skills

organized labor – Labor unions and workers organized for collective bargaining

labor market – The supply of available workers in relation to available jobs

🔄 Synonyms

workforce (n.) – All the people who work for a particular company, industry, or country

employees (n.) – People employed for wages or salary

staff (n.) – All the people employed by a particular organization

🚫 Antonyms

management (n.) – The people who control and direct the affairs of a business

employer (n.) – A person or organization that employs people

🌱 Derivatives

laborer (n.) – A worker, especially one doing physical work

labor union (n.) – An organization of workers formed to protect their rights

overlabor (v.) – To work excessively or to treat with too much detail