as in tangle
something that catches and holds
a married woman hopelessly caught in the toils of an extramarital affair
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in labors
to devote serious and sustained effort
toiled for many years on the mammoth outdoor sculpture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of toils
Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
This has been a turbulent window for Villa, not only against the backdrop of such challenges but also the toils involved in moving current players on.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
The film unfolds from the perspective of an eight-year-old girl named Qing (Aline Chen), who lives and works the land with her mother, Hongmei (Li Yanxi), while her father toils in a factory in a faraway city.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toils
Noun
-
Millions of miles of flying feels like an adequate amount of time to observe travelers struggle with bulky items, search endlessly for a gadget in a tangle of monochromatic accessories, and look longingly at their seatmate who seems to have it all together.—
Carin Ryan,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Oct. 2025
-
Whether the Northen Sea Route catches on depends on a tangle of factors.—
Laura Paddison,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Like the noon window, there are a couple other trap games to consider here.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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But there are specific pointers for ensuring your trap catches the intruder.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Sarr struggles to finish shots through contact against heavier bigs.—
Josh Robbins,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
-
Forced to become a bloodsucker as part of Bill's punishment for vanquishing another, Deborah Ann Woll's Jessica struggles with her new, flesh-craving lifestyle.—
Matt Cabral,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The app is available in English across 145 countries for all logged-in ChatGPT Free, Plus, and Pro accounts, on both web and mobile (iOS and Android).—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
7 Oct. 2025
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Those included a successful 2023 case brought by a Colorado web designer who said having to create websites for same-sex weddings would violate her free speech rights.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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How Democrats fare in efforts to reclaim the governor's office could preview a national pattern and influence party strategies as the GOP strives to maintain control of the House and Senate while Democrats push for significant gains after a disappointing 2024.—
Deputy News Editor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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Years after Air Force Combat Controller John Chapman fought to the death to save his fellow soldiers, an intelligence officer strives to prove his valor — leading an investigation that ultimately would secure him the Medal of Honor.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
3 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Most of the rest of the Middle East, in his mind, is broken, angry, dysfunctional and an arena for unnecessary entanglements.—
Tom O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
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In his 1796 Farewell Address, George Washington warned Americans against entanglement with Europe.—
JENNIFER KAVANAGH,
Foreign Affairs,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Smart nutrition management all through the season always works better than trying to achieve stunning results with last minute fertilizer fixes.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Holding his hand helps calm him down (a magic touch that works well with real kids, too).—
Pamela Brill,
Parents,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
It’s also brilliantly arranged, from the chiming guitar on the intro to the way the rhythm section makes its entrance (McCartney-esque bassline and rat-a-tat snare) before pulling back on the chorus, where Ruess’ vocal appears to be floating in space on a bed of keyboards and piano.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
26 Sep. 2025
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Daugherty put the snare around the animal.—
Saleen Martin,
USA Today,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Toils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toils. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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