Phrase guide

labor of love

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A task performed voluntarily without expectation of reimbursement or practical benefit; an altruistic work or undertaking; an action or hobby performed purely out of an inner desire to do so.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: US, idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

productive work performed voluntarily without material reward or compensation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: labour of love

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: undertaking, project, task, labor

History

Etymology

Calque of Koine Greek κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης (kópou tês agápēs), from the New Testament epistles 1 Thessalonians and Hebrews

Across languages

Translations

5 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 义务劳动 — task performed without expectation of reimbursement
  • Chinese Mandarin: 用爱发电 (yòng'àifādiàn) — task performed without expectation of reimbursement
  • Finnish: hyväntekeväisyys — task performed without expectation of reimbursement
  • German: Liebhaberei — task performed without expectation of reimbursement
  • Swedish: kärleksverk — task performed without expectation of reimbursement