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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2025
On a recent morning, a concrete truck churned outside the stadium, and a group of construction workers toiled away on a sidewalk repair.
—Annika Merrilees, Sacbee.com, 27 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
Head chef Tony Yoo (Yoo Hyun-soo) energetically toils with his team in the wide-open kitchen.
—Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 31 Mar. 2025
On a recent morning, a concrete truck churned outside the stadium, and a group of construction workers toiled away on a sidewalk repair.
—Annika Merrilees, Sacbee.com, 27 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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The on-again-off-again tariff announcements have rattled investors, wiping out trillions in value from stock markets and frustrating business leaders who are struggling to make business decisions without knowing how much goods will cost in the long run.—
Brian Bennett,
Time,
29 Apr. 2025
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Finding And Managing Leads Another challenge is generating high-quality leads, as many new agents struggle to find enough prospects early on, leading to frustration and burnout.—
David Price,
Forbes.com,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Growing Global Demand For Automation Companies from different industries are striving to increase efficiency, reduce costs and solve the problem of labor shortages.—
Anton Alikov,
Forbes.com,
28 Apr. 2025
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There is something about the energy, the belief and people striving to achieve the same thing — things happen.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
28 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 4 May. 2025.
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