toil 1 of 3

toil

2 of 3

noun (2)

as in tangle
usually toils plural something that catches and holds a married woman hopelessly caught in the toils of an extramarital affair

Synonyms & Similar Words

toil

3 of 3

verb

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun toil contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of toil are drudgery, grind, labor, travail, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When would drudgery be a good substitute for toil?

Although the words drudgery and toil have much in common, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When might grind be a better fit than toil?

The words grind and toil can be used in similar contexts, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

Where would labor be a reasonable alternative to toil?

The words labor and toil are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When could travail be used to replace toil?

While the synonyms travail and toil are close in meaning, travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

When is it sensible to use work instead of toil?

The meanings of work and toil largely overlap; however, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

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 toil
Noun
In the microcosm, every player, staff member, and yes, possibly even executive, has their own individual story of overcoming and toil which, on Saturday night, was realised in the glare of a thousand camera flashes. Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 2 June 2025 There’s also mental health counseling to help the students deal with the emotional toil that homelessness takes. Debbie Daniel, The Orlando Sentinel, 28 May 2025
Verb
Maurice toiled a quarter century in relative obscurity with several other clubs before getting a phone call from Panthers general manager Bill Zito four years ago that changed his life. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 18 June 2025 Yet factories in developing countries are often portrayed as hot, uncomfortable, dangerous, and wholly unwelcoming places where workers are conscripted against their interests to toil for the betterment of the faraway West. Tony Morley, National Review, 17 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for toil
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toil
Verb
  • Finally, gradually acclimatizing workers to laboring in extreme heat, instead of expecting people to work full-steam on the first few blazing hot days of the summer.
    Terri Gerstein, New York Daily News, 25 June 2025
  • But his parents, Mexican immigrants in the Bracero program, labored in Woodland fields with no means to send Estrada, one of 15 children, to college.
    Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 19 June 2025
Verb
  • But almost six months into his second mandate, his administration has struggled to keep the cost of the staple down.
    Giulia Carbonaro, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 July 2025
  • But some producers are already struggling thanks to other Trump administration moves and delays.
    Jenna McLaughlin, NPR, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • Dunham, in turn, strives to find new ways of expressing the emotion, through disarming dialogue and affecting tableaux.
    Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 10 July 2025
  • Founded in 886 by King Alfred the Great, The Royal Mint strives to marry its illustrious history with innovations in sustainable sourcing of precious metals.
    Kyle Roderick, Forbes.com, 10 July 2025
Verb
  • The Trump Administration continues to work closely with State and Local Leaders.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 July 2025
  • Nolan Gorman and Jordan Walker can also work their way back into that equation.
    Katie Woo, New York Times, 6 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Toil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toil. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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