toil

¹

[toil]

noun

1. hard and continuous work; exhausting labor or effort.

   Synonyms: pains, travail, exertion
   Antonyms: sloth, indolence

2. a laborious task.

3. Archaic.,  battle; strife; struggle.

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in hard and continuous work; labor arduously.

   to toil in the fields.

   Synonyms: moil, strive

2. to move or travel with difficulty, weariness, or pain.

verb (used with object)

1. to accomplish or produce by toil.

toil

²

[toil]

noun

1. Usually toils

   1. a net or series of nets in which game known to be in the area is trapped or into which game outside of the area is driven.

   2. trap; snare.

      to be caught in the toils of a gigantic criminal conspiracy.

2. Archaic.,  any snare or trap for wild beasts.

toil

¹

/ tɔɪl /

noun

1. hard or exhausting work

2. an obsolete word for strife

verb

1. (intr) to labour

2. (intr) to progress with slow painful movements

   to toil up a hill

3. archaic,  (tr) to achieve by toil

toil

²

/ tɔɪl /

noun

1. (often plural) a net or snare

   the toils of fortune had ensnared him

2. archaic,  a trap for wild beasts

Other Word Forms

• toiler noun
• untoiling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of toil¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English noun toil(e) “violent conflict, battle,” from Anglo-French toil(e), toyl “contention,” from Old French toeil, tooil “confusion, contention, battle,” ultimately from Latin tudiculāre “to stir up, beat,” verbal derivative of tudicula “machine for crushing olives,” equivalent to tudi- (stem of tundere “to strike, beat”) + -cula -cule ²

Origin of toil²

Fifst recorded in 1520–30; from French toile, from Latin tēla “web”

Word History and Origins

Origin of toil¹

C13: from Anglo-French toiler to struggle, from Old French toeillier to confuse, from Latin tudiculāre to stir, from tudicula machine for bruising olives, from tudes a hammer, from tundere to beat

Origin of toil²

C16: from Old French toile, from Latin tēla loom

Example Sentences

It seems everyone’s playing the game better than he is, and after months of toiling in unemployment hell, Man-su devises a plan to get rid of his competition by killing off the most appealing candidates.

Read more on Salon

None of this would have mattered had the team been on a winning run, but they toiled horribly.

Read more on BBC

One of these environmental impacts includes a hefty supply of water to cool toiling chips.

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The 10 staffers who run the operation toil on minimalist sets in Phoenix and Tampa, Fla., which helps keep the service profitable.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

While Team Europe's Ryder Cup stars toiled in the rain, the two overnight leaders could not be separated over 18 gruelling holes, finishing three shots clear of the rest on 19 under par.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

• strive 
• sweat 

When To Use

What are other ways to say toil?

The noun toil refers to hard and continuous work. How is toil different from drudgery, labor, and work? Find out on Thesaurus.com.