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
For 10 long years, the sovereign toiled in a 2-by-10-foot castle antechamber to create the perfect beer.
—
Bill Swank, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 June 2026
The Maine East and Wabash Valley College alum was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the second round of the MLB draft in 2019 and has toiled in the minor leagues with the Brewers, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies and the Dodgers.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
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
Bill Swank, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 June 2026
The Maine East and Wabash Valley College alum was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the second round of the MLB draft in 2019 and has toiled in the minor leagues with the Brewers, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies and the Dodgers.
—Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toiled
Verb
-
About 2,700 engineers labored on the project.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
12 June 2026
-
Stephen Kolek labored through the first three innings for Kansas City, delivering 55 pitches and allowing six baserunners, but stranded four.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Once her shots started to fall, the Sparks struggled to contain her.—
Jordan Puente,
Los Angeles Times,
18 June 2026
-
The group struggled to find relevance in the aftermath of Kath’s death, largely thanks to shifting musical tastes.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
The Knicks elected to foul rather than allow San Antonio to attempt a tying three and the strategy worked exactly as intended.—
Dan Zaksheske,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
In the 1970s, what was then West Germany co-produced the Tornado bomber with the UK and Italy; then in the 1990s Germany worked with the UK, Italy and Spain to produce the dog-fighting Eurofighter jet.—
Joseph Ataman,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Toiled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toiled. Accessed 20 Jun. 2026.
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