# labor of love

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/labor-of-love
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A task performed voluntarily without expectation of reimbursement; an altruistic work or undertaking.

## Examples

- Restoring this old car is a labor of love for my father.
- Building this wooden playhouse for my kids is a labor of love.
- Cooking a five-course meal for your friends is a true labor of love.
- She spent months writing her novel without a publisher, viewing the entire project as a labor of love.
- He spends every weekend tending to the community garden because he considers the hard work a labor of love for his neighbors.
- The retired teacher spends hours every week organizing the free library in town as a labor of love for local readers.
- The architect dedicated years to the restoration of the historic chapel, treating the meticulous project as a true labor of love.

## Origin

The phrase entered the language as a calque of the Koine Greek expression κόπου τῆς ἀγάπης. The construction originates in several epistles within the Christian New Testament, where it functioned as a literal rendering of the Greek phrase into English.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.