Basic Details
Word: Labour
Part of Speech: Noun and verb
Meaning: Hard work, especially work done with the body; also the workers who do it. As a verb, to work hard.
Synonyms: work, toil, effort, workers
Antonyms: rest, leisure, idleness
How to Spell Labour
Syllables: la - bour
Tricky part: British English ends the word in -our, like colour and honour. Students who spell by sound write labur or lebour.
Watch out for: labur, lebour, labbour
Memory tip: Labour belongs with colour, honour and neighbour: all four end in -our in British spelling, the spelling CREST follows.
Idioms and Phrases
- a labour of love: Hard work done because you enjoy it, not for money. Example: "Restoring Dadaji's old radio was a labour of love for Kunal."
Usage Examples
Example 1: The farmers' labour in the fields begins before sunrise.
Example 2: Building the dam took years of labour by thousands of workers.
Example 3: Child labour is against the law in India.
Fun Fact
India first marked Labour Day on 1 May 1923, in Madras, now Chennai.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Connection
Choose the antonym of the word labour as used in the sentence:
The labour of carrying bricks up the hill left the workers exhausted.
a) toil
b) effort
c) work
d) rest
Show answer
d) rest. Toil, effort and work are all kinds of labour; rest is what the workers need afterwards.
Mingle-Mangle
Unjumble the letters in the sentence to form a meaningful word:
The new metro line was built with the urbloa of thousands of workers.
a) rumour
b) arbour
c) labour
d) flavour
Show answer
c) labour. Flavour needs an f and a v, arbour has no l, and rumour needs an m, so the six letters give labour.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to complete the word:
l_bo_r
a) a, o
b) a, u
c) a, e
d) e, u
Show answer
b) a, u. The first vowel is a, and the British ending -our puts a u before the r.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A labour of love is work you do ____.
a) while you are asleep
b) under strict orders
c) because you enjoy it
d) only for money
Show answer
c) because you enjoy it
2. Child labour means ____.
a) children made to work at jobs
b) children helping at a party
c) children doing class homework
d) children playing in a park
Show answer
a) children made to work at jobs
