dig
/ˈdɪɡ/
verbnoun
Core
1.v.turn up, loosen, or remove earth
“Dig we must”
2.v.create by digging
“dig a hole”
3.v.work hard
“She was digging away at her math homework”
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dig and labor share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. dig means “turn up, loosen, or remove earth”. labor means “a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages”. dig is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˈdɪɡ/
1.v.turn up, loosen, or remove earth
“Dig we must”
2.v.create by digging
“dig a hole”
3.v.work hard
“She was digging away at her math homework”
/ˈleɪbɚ/
1.n.a social class comprising those who do manual labor or work for wages
“there is a shortage of skilled labor in this field”
2.n.productive work (especially physical work done for wages)
“his labor did not require a great deal of skill”
3.n.concluding state of pregnancy; from the onset of contractions to the birth of a child
“she was in labor for six hours”
| dig | labor | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈdɪɡ/ | /ˈleɪbɚ/ |
| Said | dig | LAY-bur |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| Letters | 3 | 5 |
| Parts of speech | verb, noun | noun, verb |
| Senses | 13 | 10 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | delve, cut into, turn over | labour, working class, proletariat |
Full entry for dig · Full entry for labor · More comparisons