View synonyms for

belabor

[ bih-ley-ber ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

verb (used with object)

to explain, worry about, or work at (something) repeatedly or more than is necessary:
He kept belaboring the point long after we had agreed.
to assail persistently, as with scorn or ridicule:
a book that belabors the provincialism of his contemporaries.
to beat vigorously; ply with heavy blows.
Obsolete. to labor at.

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Word History and Origins

Origin of belabor¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; be- + labor

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He jumped in with ideas for recovery, without belaboring his personal hardships.

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Villarreal: Not to belabor this point, but I want to talk more seriously about what “over there” does involve for you.

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The point doesn’t need to be belabored beyond this.

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There’s no need to belabor the point: The possible comparisons are nearly infinite and defy neutral principles of evaluation.

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Last year, she reunited with filmmaker Nicole Holofcener for “You Hurt My Feelings,” playing a writer devastated to learn that her beloved husband was masking his dislike of her belabored novel.

From

Related Words

rehash

Bela belabor the point

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