toils 1 of 2

plural of toil
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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toils

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of toil

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of toils
Noun
How Tielemans overcame early toils is often used as a source of encouragement by new additions who seem peripheral at first. Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
  • What is normal in the state of dementia, where connections are not being made, where tangle is all, objects take on a curious aspect, and where there is an unpleasant flavor to the hours?
    Joy Williams, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
  • In a yarn shop, a tangle of tariffs Sara Heckman’s shop Apricot Yarn & Supply sells yarn from around the world.
    Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The Tennessee Wildlife Resource Agency suggests a wooden, two-door trap to catch armadillos for removal.
    Kirsten Fiscus, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Oct. 2025
  • The gear, often connected to a trap on the seafloor and a buoy at the surface, can wrap itself around whales’ mouths, tails and bodies, leaving them struggling to feed and even swim.
    Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 29 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The show follows Snow's Sophie, who struggles to adjust to a new life in Texas but forms a close and complicated bond with Akerman's Margo.
    Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
  • Many believe if Gabriel struggles again Sunday against the Patriots that the Browns could use the following week’s bye to prepare Sanders for his first career start against the Jets the following week.
    Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Amazon and Apple are set to report on Thursday, and Cramer said the most important aspect of the former’s quarter is its web services division.
    Julie Coleman, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2025
  • For each web, arrange 8 pretzel sticks like the spokes of a wheel with ends touching in center.
    Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Every athlete faces the fear of failure and strives to uphold a standard.
    Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Unity strives for timely payment processing, typically aiming to complete clean claims within about a month, with accountability built into its agreements.
    Jason Phillips, USA Today, 21 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • According to the research team, both classical and quantum models of gravity would produce entanglement at different strengths depending on variables such as mass, separation distance, and experiment duration.
    Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Though researchers logged no right whale deaths in the latest report, entanglements and vessel strikes remain a serious threat to the animals.
    N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 23 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Bosu ball squat also works your abdominal muscles as well as your hip and ankle stabilizers, which play a key role in keeping you steady.
    Jakob Roze, Health, 31 Oct. 2025
  • Her brand, The Loom Art, works with over 500 artisans to make apparel from handwoven or hand-embroidered fabrics found across India's small towns since 2018.
    Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In other parts of the state, hoop nets and crab snares may be used.
    Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 26 Oct. 2025
  • LaFreniere said the bear had just about worked its way out of the snare, with the cable loop barely holding the bruin by a claw.
    Bob McNally, Outdoor Life, 22 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Toils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toils. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.

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