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
But even while toiling away at their laptops, professionals can take one short step to return to their center.
—
Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
Medieval monks toiling away at poetic meditations on the divine have their place, the authors allow, but their own arguments are meant to surpass mere abstract justifications for belief.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
The craft, once passed down through generations, is now facing the reality that fewer young people—seduced by high-flying, big-city office jobs—are interested in toiling in its timeworn factories.
—Jessica Binns, Sourcing Journal, 18 Mar. 2026
But the timing and club rebuild that San Diego have been toiling away at for two seasons now is what elevates it to landmark status.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
But a lot of those formative years were spent toiling in London’s open-mic scene and busking on the streets.
—Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2026
Rika spends most of her days toiling in a frozen-foods warehouse, but her new gig is in a museum, where she has been hired to make conversation, in Latin, with an ancient Roman statue of the goddess Venus.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Rika spends most of her days toiling in a frozen-foods warehouse, but her new gig is in a museum, where she has been hired to make conversation, in Latin, with an ancient Roman statue of the goddess Venus.
—Sarah Chihaya, New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2026
Beyond the basics—such as avoiding August and its toiling hot weather—there are Texas-specific seasons to keep in mind when planning your travels, from catching the Hill Country in bloom to attending your first rodeo or state fair.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2026
Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 29 Mar. 2026
Medieval monks toiling away at poetic meditations on the divine have their place, the authors allow, but their own arguments are meant to surpass mere abstract justifications for belief.
—Elizabeth Bruenig, The Atlantic, 26 Mar. 2026
The craft, once passed down through generations, is now facing the reality that fewer young people—seduced by high-flying, big-city office jobs—are interested in toiling in its timeworn factories.
—Jessica Binns, Sourcing Journal, 18 Mar. 2026
But the timing and club rebuild that San Diego have been toiling away at for two seasons now is what elevates it to landmark status.
—Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2026
But a lot of those formative years were spent toiling in London’s open-mic scene and busking on the streets.
—Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 11 Mar. 2026
Rika spends most of her days toiling in a frozen-foods warehouse, but her new gig is in a museum, where she has been hired to make conversation, in Latin, with an ancient Roman statue of the goddess Venus.
—Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Rika spends most of her days toiling in a frozen-foods warehouse, but her new gig is in a museum, where she has been hired to make conversation, in Latin, with an ancient Roman statue of the goddess Venus.
—Sarah Chihaya, New Yorker, 3 Mar. 2026
Beyond the basics—such as avoiding August and its toiling hot weather—there are Texas-specific seasons to keep in mind when planning your travels, from catching the Hill Country in bloom to attending your first rodeo or state fair.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 28 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toiling
Verb
-
Smith allowed one hit in the laboring 99-pitch outing.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Alongside the currently missing McDaniels and Edwards, Naz Reid is clearly laboring.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Kazan, struggling to find a local cinematographer whose work appealed to him, lucked into hiring a living legend.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Acquired before last year’s trade deadline from the Colorado Rockies, Bird was quickly demoted after struggling in his initial Yankee stint.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
As is often true of an Allbee play, cracks in the veneer open into chasms of striving, desire, betrayal and raw revelation.—
Steven Winn,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
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Unlike Apollo, which focused on fast flags and footprints in a breakneck race against the Soviet Union, Artemis is striving for a sustainable moon base elaborate enough to satisfy even the most hard-core science fiction fans.—
Marcia Dunn,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
This was, according to the charter, arguably the moment when OpenAI might stop competing with other companies and start working with them.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Eco effort This property honors the land around it, working with it and integrating its lava rock wherever possible.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Toiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toiling. Accessed 11 Apr. 2026.
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