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
Salieri, despite Bettany’s compelling performance, is a wearisome figure consumed by jealousy while clearly toiling under a storm of religious psychosis.
—
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 May 2026
During the weekends, my partner and I will be out in the yard, toiling away at various landscaping and home improvement projects, and sometimes our neighbors are out doing the same.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
Others — the dreamers and grinders, as Spencer Nusbaum described yesterday — have to take second jobs to make ends meet while toiling away in minor-league baseball.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
The Hippocratic doctors vigorously denounced the religious healers of the day, such as the priests toiling in the temple of Asclepius.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
After months of toiling over the build, the supplier facility produced a version of the product, but on the back of the display, 35 grooves were installed instead of 25.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 Apr. 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 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
Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 8 May 2026
During the weekends, my partner and I will be out in the yard, toiling away at various landscaping and home improvement projects, and sometimes our neighbors are out doing the same.
—Judith Martin, Mercury News, 7 May 2026
Others — the dreamers and grinders, as Spencer Nusbaum described yesterday — have to take second jobs to make ends meet while toiling away in minor-league baseball.
—Chris Branch, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
The Hippocratic doctors vigorously denounced the religious healers of the day, such as the priests toiling in the temple of Asclepius.
—Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
After months of toiling over the build, the supplier facility produced a version of the product, but on the back of the display, 35 grooves were installed instead of 25.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 27 Apr. 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toiling
Verb
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Imagine a place of employment where everyone in the building is laboring to live out their childhood dream.—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
10 May 2026
-
Just three had received fewer innings per game from their starters, increasing the burden on a bullpen laboring under the strain.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
At the time, the group had around two dozen employees and was struggling for financial stability.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
11 May 2026
-
The key will be to continue building off the encouraging start, especially after struggling with his command in Colorado last week.—
Jesús Cano,
New York Times,
11 May 2026
Verb
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Gray’s crime thriller stars Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, and Miles Teller in a story about two brothers striving to achieve the American Dream only to get caught up with the Russian Mafia.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
7 May 2026
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In the shadows of the world’s most prestigious piano competition, a group of expert tuners spend a month striving to achieve perfect pitch—hoping that the eventual champion will perform on their instrument.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
6 May 2026
Verb
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Kerr had no head coaching experience, working as an executive with the Phoenix Suns from 2007 through 2010 and then as a TNT television analyst through 2014.—
Jerry McDonald,
Mercury News,
10 May 2026
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Three decades later, Landon's production company and his wife, Cindy Landon, are working together to create a Highway to Heaven revival for Fox for the 2027-2028 season, per Deadline.—
Caroline Blair,
PEOPLE,
10 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Toiling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toiling. Accessed 16 May. 2026.
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