belabor
belabor Lexical Profile
belabor Game Scores & Validity
• verb
American To explain, argue, or dwell on a point or subject at excessive or tedious length.
"There is no need to belabor the point, as the committee has already agreed on the budget."
American To attack or assail someone fiercely, either verbally or physically.
"Critics belabored the director for his controversial adaptation of the classic novel."
Word Nuance & Usage
Spelled 'belabor' in American English and 'belabour' in British English; in British usage, the unprefixed verb 'labour' (as in 'to labour a point') is often preferred for the sense of over-explaining.
• Rhymes for belabor
Word Origin & Etymology
Formed in the late 16th century from the intensive prefix 'be-' (meaning 'thoroughly' or 'all over') and the verb 'labor', originally meaning to work hard at something before shifting to the sense of beating soundly or dwelling on a topic excessively.