1 [U] work, usually of a hard, physical kind 劳动(通常指繁重的体力劳动):
manual labour (= work using your hands)体力劳动
2 [U] workers, when thought of as a group 劳工(总称):
There is a shortage of skilled labour.熟练工人短缺。
3 [U] [C] [usu.sing] the process of giving birth to a baby 分娩 ·
She went into labour in the early hours of this morning.今天凌晨她开始阵痛,要分娩了。 She was in labour for ten hours.她分娩阵痛了十个小时。
labour²
/ˈleɪbə(r) ||; ˈlebɚ/
(US 美 labor) verb [I]
1labour (away) to work hard at sth 努力工作:
She laboured on her book for two years.她这本书花去了两年的心血。
2 to move or do sth with difficulty and effort 吃力地移动或做
Labour/ˋlebɚ; ˈleIbə/n the LABOUR PARTY 〔英国的〕工党: We’ve always voted Labour . 我们一直投工党的票。a Labour MP 工党议员
labour1BrE 【英】; labor AmE 【美】n 1 [U] work, especially hard physical work 劳动﹔〔尤指〕体力劳动: The job involves hard manual labour (=hard work that you do with your hands). 这份工作要干重体力活。2 [U] people who work in an industry or country 劳工﹐工人﹔劳动力: There is a shortage of skilled labour (=trained workers). 熟练工人短缺。These countries can provide cheap labour . 这些国家可以提供廉价劳动力。labour force (=all the people who work in a company or country) 劳动力 the number of women in the labour force 劳动力中的女性人数labour-intensive (=needing a lot of workers) 劳动密集型的 labour-intensive farming methods 劳动密集型耕作法3 [singular 单数, U] the process of giving birth to a baby 分娩﹔产程: in labour Meg was in labour for six hours. 梅格分娩花了六个小时。4 labour of love something that you do because you enjoy it, not for money 出于爱好而做的工作
labour2BrE 【英】; labor AmE 【美】v [I] 1 to work hard 苦干: Farmers were laboring in the fields. 农民在田里辛勤劳动。+over I laboured over that report for days. 那份报告我埋头写了好几天。2 to move slowly and with difficulty 费力地行进: The bus was labouring up the steep, windy road. 巴士在陡峭又当风的道路上艰难地行驶着。
labourlabourlabourslabouredlabouring (British) (Americanlabor)noun (no plural)hard work that you do with your hands and body: manual labour (= work using your hands)