labored 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of laborednext
as in manufactured

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labored

2 of 2

verb

past tense of labor
as in struggled
to devote serious and sustained effort the young lawyer labored most of the weekend over the difficult legal brief

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of labored
Adjective
Some of the signs of overheating include heavy panting or drooling, a rapid pulse, bright red gums or tongue, labored breathing, difficulty standing, vomiting or diarrhea and a fever. — Cody Godwin, USA Today, 16 July 2026 No, what’s stuck in my head is Morocco’s Round of 32 victory over the Netherlands on the very last, labored breath of the match. — Aj Willingham, AJC.com, 6 July 2026
Verb
Though Morris labored through a 29-pitch first inning and gave up a run, Prielipp more than did his part, throwing five scoreless innings to follow. — Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, 2 Sep. 2026 Royals starter Seth Lugo labored through 4 2/3 innings while allowing five runs. — Kansas City Star, 15 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for labored
Recent Examples of Synonyms for labored
  1. manufactured
  2. struggled
  3. strained
  4. worked
  5. contrived
  6. endeavored
  7. automatic
  8. toiled
Adjective
  • Some of those most in danger are the millions of Americans who live in manufactured housing like mobile homes and trailers.
    — Alejandra Borunda, NPR, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Helen Keller—or her manufactured image, at least—tended to be shining and sweet and noncontroversial.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of manufactured
Verb
  • The Chiefs struggled in short-yard situations in the first quarter, which could have been a coincidence.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Willis also struggled, completing only nine passes for 85 yards.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of struggled
Adjective
  • Worries have been rising about the French government’s big debt and its strained budget.
    — Stan Choe, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Giancarlo Stanton, who hasn’t played since April 24 because of strained calf muscles in both legs, remained on the 26-man roster for the best-of-five series starting Saturday.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of strained
Verb
  • According to court filings, Seaver previously worked for private military contractors and later provided security for Parton and her properties through his company, Squadron Augmented Protection Services (SAPS), which is also a party to the lawsuit.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Room for Disagreement Collins has opposed Trump on upwards of a half-dozen major initiatives and worked behind the scenes to temper him on multiple other occasions.
    — Burgess Everett, semafor.com, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of worked
Adjective
  • His lens democratizes power the contrived space of the studio set, with the goal of empowering real-life servants.
    — Damaly Gonzalez, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • These sequences are no less contrived than the rest of this malformed blockbuster, but their growing emphasis on performativeness helps to paint a target that Iñárritu actually knows how to hit.
    — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of contrived
Verb
  • Though eventually abandoned due to cost, this system of surveillance endeavored to equate producers with virtue.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026
  • Whatever people think of the film, it was endeavored to be made with purely with the process at its heart.
    — Lily Ford, HollywoodReporter, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of endeavored
Adjective
  • The obvious next step is to make the system more automatic, not less.
    — Mark Lewyn, Hartford Courant, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Agentic payments can make compensation granular, automatic and economically viable at machine scale.
    — Shlomit Wagman, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of automatic
Verb
  • While Vonnegut toiled in a malt syrup factory, several other prisoners were assigned to labor details clearing out the rubble left behind from the bombings.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026
  • Senior tight end Ryan Wynn may have toiled in the shadows a year ago during Oswego’s surprising run to the Class 8A state championship game but his impact didn’t go unnoticed.
    — Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of toiled

Browse Nearby Words

labor camps
labored
laborer
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Cite this Entry

“Labored.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/labored. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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