day laborer

noun

: one who works for daily wages especially as an unskilled laborer

Examples of day laborer in a Sentence

They hire day laborers to pick the apples.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Cleanup brigade The job center was established in 2000 as a place for day laborers to find work, and about 50 to 80 people pass through here each day to find manual labor jobs like building, house cleaning, and moving. Melanie Stetson Freeman, The Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb. 2025 Some live on the fringes, sharing tiny rooms or riding bikes to day laborer pickup sites an hour away. Dionne Searcey, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2025 The hardware store parking lots, where day laborers search for work, also were largely empty. Chicago Tribune, 27 Jan. 2025 Look for the helpers As fires rage, day laborers volunteer to clean up Pasadena’s streets. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for day laborer

Word History

First Known Use

1528, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of day laborer was in 1528

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Cite this Entry

“Day laborer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/day%20laborer. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

day laborer

noun
: one who works by the day or for daily wages especially as an unskilled laborer
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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