as in tangle
something that catches and holds
a married woman hopelessly caught in the toils of an extramarital affair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
-
Fire up the grill, toast the buns and lean into indulgence with meaty beef patties layered beneath smoky bacon, oozing cheese and sweet onions softened to a slippery tangle.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
-
Ionic technology helps regulate heat and flatten thick hair types while eliminating frizz, and the ceramic plates deliver a shiny, snag-free finish that's especially useful for thick hair prone to tangles.—
Alanna Martine Kilkeary,
Glamour,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Every man and woman who labors in the construction industry deserves that.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
How To Clean The Dishwasher Drain With Vinegar Cleaning your dishwasher drain trap requires a bit more care than cleaning your overall dishwasher.—
Daley Quinn,
Southern Living,
14 June 2026
-
Some flowers and scented herbs can be used as companion plants to naturally repel aphids, while others function as trap crops by luring aphids away from milkweed.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 June 2026
Verb
-
Ray struggles to hide his drink, to get a drink, to get away on his own and pursue his Sisyphean labors of hammering a bucket of baseballs off a tee and then wandering through the field to collect them and start again.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
12 June 2026
-
Roki Sasaki struggles in loss Former Dodger Miguel Vargas delivered the go-ahead hit for the White Sox in the fifth inning as part of a game-defining seven-run rally.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Arte’s Franco-Iranian web series Happiness has won the audience award at Seriencamp, while the Cologne fest has reported record attendance.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
12 June 2026
-
Walken brings his signature idiosyncratic charm to his portrayal of Frank, whose motivations make for a fascinating web of contradictions.—
Eric Farwell,
Entertainment Weekly,
12 June 2026
Verb
-
New legislation introduced by a bipartisan group of senators strives to add new aircraft to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Hunter fleet and codify the agency’s role in meteorological research.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
17 June 2026
-
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 (Billy Magnussen) strives to turn insight and influence into profit and power.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
Quantum computers use qubits that leverage superposition and entanglement to process information in ways classical bits cannot, enabling solutions to problems previously insurmountable for even the most advanced supercomputer.—
Chuck Brooks,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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By taking advantage of the processor’s connectivity, the code can generate the entanglement needed for error correction while keeping hardware requirements comparatively low.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
That’s not how the numbering system works.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
-
The six-minute quasi-title track works as a centerpiece, its compressed qanun (a stringed Middle Eastern instrument, played here by the acclaimed Syrian musician Maya Youssef) looping in the background as electronic pulses, foreboding pianos, and disembodied voices swirl around the mix.—
Alex Robert Ross,
Pitchfork,
15 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Toils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toils. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
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