travails 1 of 2

noun

plural of travail
1
as in pains
a state of great suffering of body or mind no greater travail than that of parents who have suffered the death of a child

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2
as in efforts
very hard or unpleasant work these villagers now have decent housing, so our travail has not been in vain

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3
as in childbirths
the act or process of giving birth to children a midwife assisted her throughout her long travail

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travails

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of travail
as in struggles
to devote serious and sustained effort Labor Day is the day on which we recognize those men and women who daily travail with little appreciation or compensation

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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 travails
Noun
In 2007, a mediator determined that despite fiscal travails, Vallejo couldn’t reduce the size of its fire department. — Jon Regardie, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026 The enduring travails of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, landed cousins of the Montauketts in eastern Long Island, are instructive. — Jason Motlagh, Rolling Stone, 22 Oct. 2026 That’s because, despite his travails, Trump needs Wiles and almost everyone around him knows it. — Chris Whipple, Vanity Fair, 19 Oct. 2026 The comedy-drama will revisit the lives and travails of the eponymous sisters. — Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026 What happens next at first feels like a dreadful narrative misstep, seemingly reinforcing the idea that cutting oneself off from others can save them from life’s travails. — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 7 Sep. 2026 The moment was loosely evocative of Clooney’s recent performance in Jay Kelly, a comedy-drama about the personal travails of a Clooney-esque movie star that culminates with the character receiving a lifetime honor at a swanky Italian film festival. — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026 Given the travails of Bessent, its contents will make interesting reading. — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026 That’s partly thanks to Holland, a smart, sensitive actor who, inside a stretchy suit or not, takes his character’s emotional travails just seriously enough. — Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 28 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for travails
  1. pains
  2. efforts
  3. childbirths
  4. struggles
  5. distresses
  6. labors
  7. deliveries
  8. strives
Noun
  • During the chaos, two people suffered minor injuries and a third had chest pains, according to Chronister.
    — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Some wet their beds, experience chest pains, or cry out at night.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of pains
Noun
  • State officials and managers of water agencies said the $7 billion reservoir will be a critical part of California’s efforts to adapt to climate change.
    — Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The case highlights an intensifying battle over semiconductor know-how as Chinese chipmakers narrow the gap with established rivals, putting the race for top engineering talent increasingly at odds with efforts to protect trade secrets.
    — Jenny Lee, CNBC, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of efforts
Noun
  • The human neurons suffered severe, selective damage, mimicking the cellular breakdown that causes cerebral palsy in human infants during difficult childbirths.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 17 Sep. 2026
  • Congo's has among the world's highest rates of both childbirths per woman and deaths around childbirth.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of childbirths
Verb
  • Special teams struggles a bit Kicker Zane Gonzalez missed a 43-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter, extending the special teams issues for the Dolphins on a day when special teams seemed to be doing OK.
    — Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 2 Nov. 2026
  • This provides a specialized foundation if your student struggles primarily with math.
    — Karen Koehler, Sacbee.com, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of struggles
Noun
  • Pain, infection, medication side effects, and other physical and emotional distresses may be expressed through shouting, intimidating gestures, kicking, pushing, or punching.
    — Jordan Rau, NPR, 19 July 2026
Definition of distresses
Noun
  • There’s a slickness to the carnage that rubs uncomfortably against the film’s humanist ethos, rendering artificial (for all Shen Teng’s trembling and mouth-contorting labors) the horrific tragedies that befall its characters.
    — Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
  • In these labors, Carson is akin to two other recent laureates, Jon Fosse and László Krasznahorkai, our foremost writers of holy fools.
    — Merve Emre, New Yorker, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of labors
Noun
  • Benally, an assistant professor at Utah State University, has been coordinating deliveries of bottled water, waterproof boots, toiletries and other supplies to shelters.
    — Christopher Weber, Chicago Tribune, 3 Nov. 2026
  • Some experts have questioned whether Russia can meet the schedule for diesel deliveries, in part because of the complexities of transporting the oil within Russia to its ports and thence to its destination.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of deliveries
Verb
  • UConn Women’s Basketball is proud to play in our Basketball is for Everyone Pride game and strives for a culture of inclusion and equity.
    — Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 2 Nov. 2026
  • What follows is a tale of love, lust and regret that threatens the fate of an entire empire as Navier strives to reclaim her power.
    — Denise Petski, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of strives

Browse Nearby Words

travailing
travails
travel
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Cite this Entry

“Travails.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/travails. Accessed 7 Nov. 2026.

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