as in tangle
something that catches and holds
a married woman hopelessly caught in the toils of an extramarital affair
Synonyms & Similar Words
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as in labors
to devote serious and sustained effort
toiled for many years on the mammoth outdoor sculpture
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of toils
Paul Newman, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Both were premised on the idea of frictionless ease, liberating their users from outmoded toils.
—Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
The conceit of narrating a year in one’s life through the toils and sensations of the kitchen is one that many have taken up before.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 May 2026
Yoriko toils in anonymity in Nagi as a sculptor of human figures hewn from raw blocks of wood.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
Union itself released a dramatic trailer set in a surgical amphitheater in which a medical team toils away at the sneaker.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 4 Feb. 2026
Several Democratic incumbents are seeing their young primary opponents boast impressive fundraising numbers as the party toils between placing its faith in its incumbent establishment or in a future featuring younger, more progressive candidates.
—Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
Noun
There has to be a chance that Jos Buttler’s toils in Sri Lanka and India represent his last ventures on the international stage, and therefore the end of an era.
—Paul Newman, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Both were premised on the idea of frictionless ease, liberating their users from outmoded toils.
—Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026
The conceit of narrating a year in one’s life through the toils and sensations of the kitchen is one that many have taken up before.
—Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
While Alina toils in the greenhouses, Lucian makes new friends.
—Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 May 2026
Yoriko toils in anonymity in Nagi as a sculptor of human figures hewn from raw blocks of wood.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026
Union itself released a dramatic trailer set in a surgical amphitheater in which a medical team toils away at the sneaker.
—Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 4 Feb. 2026
Several Democratic incumbents are seeing their young primary opponents boast impressive fundraising numbers as the party toils between placing its faith in its incumbent establishment or in a future featuring younger, more progressive candidates.
—Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toils
Noun
-
Before 2014, bull kelp—a whip-like kelp with bulbous air bladders and trailing blades —stretched across Northern California’s coastline in dense tangles.—
Tatjana Baleta,
Time,
28 May 2026
-
Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen rounded out the podium after a tangle of their own, marking the Briton’s highest finish for Ferrari and the Dutchman’s first podium of the season.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
Every man and woman who labors in the construction industry deserves that.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The plants may have to be removed and monitoring traps may be placed in the area.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
31 May 2026
-
Sinner with his changes of direction that turned neutral rallies into traps.—
Matthew Futterman,
New York Times,
31 May 2026
Verb
-
In it, a Native Hawaiian family struggles to reclaim the ancestral lands that colonization, tourism, and rampant development threaten to overrun.—
Gabrielle Bellot,
Literary Hub,
29 May 2026
-
Over the last few years, Keira has lost her ability to speak, has started having seizures, and struggles more and more with walking.—
Elise Esposito,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Its partner-rival OpenAI has had plans to combine its ChatGPT app and its Codex coding tool with its web browser into a single destination.—
Sebastian Herrera,
Fortune,
29 May 2026
-
Now, satellite images reviewed by Reuters show Beijing is building a sprawling web of launch pads, bunkers and communications nodes near the isolated nuclear silos that hold the Chinese military’s longest-range missiles.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
In a world of jaded billionaires, psychiatrist-gurus, bio-hacked tech bros, AI labs, and disillusioned teens being optimized in elite private schools, an audacious data-mining CEO (Magnussen) strives to turn insight and influence into profit and power.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
3 June 2026
-
Denver Fringe strives to make the arts accessible to all, with tickets priced at $20 each for most shows.—
Laura Daily,
Denver Post,
3 June 2026
Noun
-
The theory becomes more useful once the entanglement forms.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 May 2026
-
In other systems, media avoid particular partisan entanglements and present themselves to audiences as providers of neutral information to a nonaligned public.—
Encyclopedia Britannica,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
The villa layout works great for families needing space.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
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Churning out lazy, uninspired movies no longer works, even if they're attached to a previously important brand name.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Toils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toils. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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