as in labor
very hard or unpleasant work
after years of toil in a sweatshop, Kim was finally able to start her own dressmaking business
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in tangle
usually toils plural
something that catches and holds
a married woman hopelessly caught in the toils of an extramarital affair
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in to labor
to devote serious and sustained effort
toiled for many years on the mammoth outdoor sculpture
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of toil
Maria Correa, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2025
In a nation that has built its economic and cultural infrastructure on the toil of Black women, the act of resting—of lying down, of breathing deeply, of existing outside of labor—is nothing short of radical.
—Ashlee Marie Preston, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Holly Rizzuto Palker, Parents, 27 Mar. 2025
While Georgia continued to toil away, Gonzaga’s offense proved to be too much for the Dawgs.
Tennessee 77, Wofford 62
Chaz Lanier scored 29 points to lead the Tennessee Volunteers to a wire-to-wire win over No. 15 Wofford.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for toil
Noun
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Witches Brew Cauldron Stoneware Mug
Double, double toil and trouble… or just coffee?
—Maria Correa, Miami Herald, 3 Mar. 2025
In a nation that has built its economic and cultural infrastructure on the toil of Black women, the act of resting—of lying down, of breathing deeply, of existing outside of labor—is nothing short of radical.
—Ashlee Marie Preston, Forbes, 25 Feb. 2025
Verb
The Passover Story, Explained in Kid-Friendly Terms Over 3,000 years ago, a wicked Egyptian king forced the ancient Jewish people (the Israelites) to toil in the heat, constructing buildings and carrying massive bricks.
—Holly Rizzuto Palker, Parents, 27 Mar. 2025
While Georgia continued to toil away, Gonzaga’s offense proved to be too much for the Dawgs.
Tennessee 77, Wofford 62
Chaz Lanier scored 29 points to lead the Tennessee Volunteers to a wire-to-wire win over No. 15 Wofford.
—Kyle Feldscher, CNN, 20 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for toil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toil
Verb
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When Michele Romano went missing last August, her family and their close friend, podcaster Lauren Lee Malloy, labored over flyers bearing her image: a woman with a gentle smile and a spill of braids, wrapped in a cozy, pale rainbow cardigan.—
Brenna Ehrlich,
Rolling Stone,
25 Apr. 2025
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Sánchez had labored through two innings of an eventual 5-1 Phillies loss to the New York Mets.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2025
Verb
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And their struggling offense is becoming a major concern.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
18 Apr. 2025
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Behind her glamorous exterior, the real Dorothy was a closeted lesbian who struggled with substance abuse and was mistreated by the men within Hollywood’s studio system before ultimately committing suicide.—
Abby Monteil,
Them.,
17 Apr. 2025
Verb
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If a cell harbors many black morphogens, for example, and a neighboring cell harbors few of them, then the molecules strive to move such that they are distributed as evenly as possible.—
Manon Bischoff,
Scientific American,
16 Apr. 2025
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The school could strive for excellence and integrity while doing fewer things.—
Jeannie Suk Gersen,
New Yorker,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Thematically, the fractured friendship works well in a story that is so much about the joys of friendship and the pain of a camaraderie betrayed.—
Kayti Burt,
Time,
26 Apr. 2025
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Trading Warren and some other top prospects for Alcántara could work, but what next?—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Toil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toil. Accessed 2 May. 2025.
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