as in laboring
to devote serious and sustained effort
toiled for many years on the mammoth outdoor sculpture
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Recent Examples of toiling
For instance, said Guo, the falling birth rate means Japan has a shrinking workforce, with fewer young people available to fill the gaps left by aging workers – who in turn are forced to keep toiling instead of retiring.
—
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025
At first glance, Nam-Joon Cho’s lab at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University looks like your typical research facility—scientists toiling away, crowded workbenches, a hum of machinery in the background.
—Sandy Ong, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
What everyone else saw was a quarterback ready for his moment after spending over two years toiling in the background.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 11 Sep. 2025
Many CEOs will have no choice but to devote their efforts to guessing, interpreting and trying to influence what the president wants, rather than toiling on behalf of their shareholders and customers.
—Senior Fellow, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
The aforementioned deal sheets would often see people still toiling away well beyond midnight in order to get late business over the line.
—Leon Imber, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2025
Bulls are constantly toiling away at endeavors that speak to their artistry.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Raised in smoky Manchester, her tiny hands toiling away in cotton mills, she’s kept in line by a steely disciplinarian father.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2025
The 26-year-old looks a shadow of the player that helped Liverpool to title glory last season, making rash decisions and generally toiling to cover open space in opening transition.
—Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 19 Sep. 2025
At first glance, Nam-Joon Cho’s lab at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological University looks like your typical research facility—scientists toiling away, crowded workbenches, a hum of machinery in the background.
—Sandy Ong, JSTOR Daily, 11 Sep. 2025
What everyone else saw was a quarterback ready for his moment after spending over two years toiling in the background.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 11 Sep. 2025
Many CEOs will have no choice but to devote their efforts to guessing, interpreting and trying to influence what the president wants, rather than toiling on behalf of their shareholders and customers.
—Senior Fellow, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Sep. 2025
The aforementioned deal sheets would often see people still toiling away well beyond midnight in order to get late business over the line.
—Leon Imber, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2025
Bulls are constantly toiling away at endeavors that speak to their artistry.
—Lisa Stardust, People.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Raised in smoky Manchester, her tiny hands toiling away in cotton mills, she’s kept in line by a steely disciplinarian father.
—Radhika Seth, Vogue, 1 Sep. 2025
The 26-year-old looks a shadow of the player that helped Liverpool to title glory last season, making rash decisions and generally toiling to cover open space in opening transition.
—Graham Ruthven, Forbes.com, 26 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toiling
Verb
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With The Fulfillment, the sub-context is how clout culture is a currency, how attention itself has become a currency, just like our laboring bodies are.—
Christopher Claxton,
Billboard,
19 Sep. 2025
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While such a scenario sounds potentially maudlin and manipulative, Lucero — who wrote the film from a personal place — never allows that to happen by making the characters complex and flawed, and laboring under real-life issues.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That was punctuated by the incident in Dubai, which Raducanu said left her struggling to breathe properly in the immediate aftermath.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
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The film follows Malik (Omar Epps), a gifted athlete struggling academically; Kristen (Kristy Swanson), a young woman discovering her voice; and Remy (Michael Rapaport), a student whose isolation turns dangerous.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Dispelling shame and striving for equality was a strategy used by fourteen women.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
13 Oct. 2025
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Much to the dismay of Gen Z striving for success with a manageable work-life balance, CEOs are adamant that intense schedules are essential for anyone looking to make it in business.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For years, Bloom was hyped as a Silicon Valley unicorn, but in 2012 the SEC charged an investment bank working with Bloom of using inflated numbers to mislead investors.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
16 Oct. 2025
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Christiaan Triebert is a Times reporter working on the Visual Investigations team, a group that combines traditional reporting with digital sleuthing and analysis of visual evidence to verify and source facts from around the world.—
Danny Makki,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Toiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toiling. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.
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