as in laboring
to devote serious and sustained effort
slaving over a hot stove
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Recent Examples of slaving
Po’s journey begins while slaving away at his boring noodle job on the day the Dragon Warrior is to be chosen.
—
Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Nov. 2025
Maybe entrepreneurship to you means slaving away behind a laptop, answering to clients, suppliers and team members.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
After two years away on loan while Leeds were slaving away in the second tier, the winger has returned to find his old No 11 shirt in Brenden Aaronson’s possession.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Defined by exhaustion from slaving away at the ironing board while confronting the latest family crisis, Angela is quite capable of whipping up baloney sandwiches with mayonnaise for all and functions as a wise-cracking, big-hearted den mother.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Nov. 2025
Maybe entrepreneurship to you means slaving away behind a laptop, answering to clients, suppliers and team members.
—Jodie Cook, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
After two years away on loan while Leeds were slaving away in the second tier, the winger has returned to find his old No 11 shirt in Brenden Aaronson’s possession.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
Defined by exhaustion from slaving away at the ironing board while confronting the latest family crisis, Angela is quite capable of whipping up baloney sandwiches with mayonnaise for all and functions as a wise-cracking, big-hearted den mother.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slaving
Verb
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The son of a medical-gas plumber who worked night shifts, Darnold just kept laboring at his craft.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
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In the summer of 2024, UNICEF’s representative in Congo suggested that 361,000 children might be laboring in mines in southern Congo, though this number seems implausibly high and drew quick opprobrium from Congolese NGOs that work on the issue.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Bear, struggling with drug addiction, had no one urging her to fight the state’s case.—
Raynee Howell,
Oklahoma Watch,
9 Feb. 2026
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He’s trapped in rolling crises of his own making and is struggling to sell voters on the idea of a strong American economy.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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There are filmmakers in Hollywood now, working under the same conditions — bloody conflict abroad, corruption in politics, monolithic mainstream entertainment — and striving for a similar freedom.—
Paul Fischer,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
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Learning a new skill is key to staying relevant in what Jake confirmed is the rapidly evolving K-pop universe, one that is quick to react to trends and changes as the industry cranks out a steady stream of new acts, each striving to carve a unique lane to break through to global audiences.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The launcher carries six 300 mm rockets and is operated by a small crew working from within an armored cabin designed to protect against shrapnel and small-arms fire, according to reports.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Feb. 2026
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The bold plan did not pan out, and NASA is currently working to return astronauts to the lunar surface by 2028 — the timeframe the agency had been working toward in the Obama era.—
Jackie Wattles,
CNN Money,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Slaving.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slaving. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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