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
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
The film unfolds from the perspective of an eight-year-old girl named Qing (Aline Chen), who lives and works the land with her mother, Hongmei (Li Yanxi), while her father toils in a factory in a faraway city.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 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
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
The film unfolds from the perspective of an eight-year-old girl named Qing (Aline Chen), who lives and works the land with her mother, Hongmei (Li Yanxi), while her father toils in a factory in a faraway city.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toils
Noun
-
The brand’s first Australian outpost is set on Oxford Street—with its longstanding tangle of nightlife, queerness, rebellion, theater, politics, and fashion—which has long served as one of the city’s great cultural arteries.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Lowery manifests that vision as a swirling tangle of red fabric that acquires an almost corporeal form, a mesmerizing jolt of color in the sumptuous darkness of DP Andrew Droz Palermo’s visuals (Rina Yang shot the concert scenes).—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Every man and woman who labors in the construction industry deserves that.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Effective vole control includes keeping grass mowed, minimizing mulch, using traps, and protecting young trees with hardware cloth tubes.—
Arricca Elin SanSone,
Southern Living,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The missile site is where Cove and Dixon’s fellow biologists have used camera traps to film pythons preying on the endangered species, which have much lower reproduction rates than the invasive Asian black rats common to Florida.—
Bill Kearney,
Sun Sentinel,
19 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Bailey struggles in run defending, and his style of play is a lot like current Jet Will McDonald IV.—
Antwan Staley,
New York Daily News,
17 Apr. 2026
-
The Nuggets will win the offensive boards, and even if Christian Braun struggles from 3 when dared to shoot, Minnesota will have no answer for Nikola Jokic.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And this complex web of emotions is what Claire and Jamie are grappling with when Bree, Roger, Marsali, and her children arrive at Fraser’s Ridge to inform them that their son is dead.—
Maggie Fremont,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
-
While the patriarch of the family holds no official title at Bolloré SE, behind the scenes his power remains undiminished thanks to a complex five-layer web of family holdings.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The executive said Kraken strives to make advanced trading strategies typically reserved for professional investors available to individual investors, according to Semafor.—
Tanaya Macheel,
CNBC,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Telemundo strives to stay out of the political fray, Garcia said.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Materials with high entanglement could become the backbone of future quantum computers or ultra-secure communication networks.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Jaros said sea turtles are drawn to river environments for their warmer temperatures and available food sources, but those same waterways act as funnels for urban runoff and debris, making entanglement a recurring danger for the species.—
Cierra Morgan,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The easy-on, easy-off design is a win for airport security, while the sporty silhouette works with everything from jeans and sweatpants to even skirts.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Apr. 2026
-
There’s no set price—that’s how dynamic pricing works.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Toils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toils. Accessed 23 Apr. 2026.
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