i Register
In some senses, belabour is marked as obsolete, UK. Watch for register when choosing this word.
belabour
/bɪˈleɪ.bə/
verb 4
Collocations
2ADJ.
other
PREP.
with
Definitions
verb
1
To labour about; labour over; to work hard upon; to ply diligently.
2
To beat or thump (someone) soundly.
1856: Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Part III Chapter X, translated by Eleanor Marx-Aveling He saw the village; he was seen coming bending forward upon his horse, belabouring it with great blows, the girths dripping with blood.
[F]ew country people there are who do not love to see two sturdy fellows thwack and belabour each other with quarter-staff, single-stick, or fists.
3
To attack (someone) verbally.
4
To discuss or explain (something) excessively or repeatedly; to harp on or overelaborate.
1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, inaugural speech Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belabouring those problems which divide us.
And so, to belabour the school metaphor, diehard fans of both those fallen leaders resent this pair for snitching in class.
Thesaurus
Synonyms
verb — attack verbally with harsh criticism
- belabor
verb — beat soundly
- belabor
verb — to work at or to absurd length
- belabor
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
301
1856: Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Part III Chapter X, translated by Eleanor Marx-Aveling He saw the village; he was seen coming bending forward upon his horse, belabouring it with great blows, th
Wiktionary02
[F]ew country people there are who do not love to see two sturdy fellows thwack and belabour each other with quarter-staff, single-stick, or fists.
Wiktionary03
1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, inaugural speech Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belabouring those problems which divide us.
WiktionaryUsage Notes
Your note
not saved0 chars