as in labored
to devote serious and sustained effort
toiled for many years on the mammoth outdoor sculpture
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Recent Examples of toiled
Cassie’s sister Lexi (Maude Apatow) toiled as an assistant on a nighttime soap opera.
—
Alison Herman, Variety, 1 June 2026
While the Knicks toiled, the Rangers had decent success — until Dolan decided to leave the Knicks alone and ruin the Rangers by firing general manager Jeff Gorton and Rangers President John Davidson.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 29 May 2026
For the last four years, the players on stage toiled to reach this moment.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 27 May 2026
The roughly 1,000 Bandanese who survived were enslaved alongside other laborers under the perkenier system, where hundreds of workers toiled on each plantation (in Dutch, perk).
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 14 May 2026
Hired in the foreign transactions department, Eliot toiled at a desk in the bank’s basement.
—René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026
While the opera Lulu was playing out front, the tuner and his son toiled backstage.
—Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
The story’s most significant character, save Miranda herself, is Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), who once toiled alongside Emily in the assistant trenches and finally surpassed her.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026
At the time, many people who had previously toiled in the fields shifted to working long shifts in cramped, and often dangerous manufacturing and textile facilities while increasingly resenting the industrialists who owned the factories.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
Alison Herman, Variety, 1 June 2026
While the Knicks toiled, the Rangers had decent success — until Dolan decided to leave the Knicks alone and ruin the Rangers by firing general manager Jeff Gorton and Rangers President John Davidson.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 29 May 2026
For the last four years, the players on stage toiled to reach this moment.
—Paul Tenorio, New York Times, 27 May 2026
The roughly 1,000 Bandanese who survived were enslaved alongside other laborers under the perkenier system, where hundreds of workers toiled on each plantation (in Dutch, perk).
—H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 14 May 2026
Hired in the foreign transactions department, Eliot toiled at a desk in the bank’s basement.
—René Ostberg, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 May 2026
While the opera Lulu was playing out front, the tuner and his son toiled backstage.
—Literary Hub, 6 May 2026
The story’s most significant character, save Miranda herself, is Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), who once toiled alongside Emily in the assistant trenches and finally surpassed her.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 29 Apr. 2026
At the time, many people who had previously toiled in the fields shifted to working long shifts in cramped, and often dangerous manufacturing and textile facilities while increasingly resenting the industrialists who owned the factories.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toiled
Verb
-
The Thunder labored through a 111-103 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday in a decisive Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.—
Mark Medina,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
Even the involuntary action of breathing was labored, and constantly faltering.—
Casey Ross,
STAT,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Wembanyama, one of the marquee stars of this series, was his usual disruptive presence in the paint defensively but struggled to make a larger impact elsewhere.—
Alejandro Avila,
FOXNews.com,
4 June 2026
-
Meta still counts on ads for about 98% of revenue, having repeatedly struggled to sell digital and physical products over the years.—
Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Jared Bednar’s plan worked, and this core executed it with near-flawless precision in 2022.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
31 May 2026
-
The walk-off home run came after the bullpen of the Twins (27-31) had worked four scoreless innings, taking over after a four-inning start from Taj Bradley.—
Betsy Helfand,
Twin Cities,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Toiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toiled. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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