entoil

American

[en-toil] / ɛnˈtɔɪl /

verb (used with object)

to take in toils; toil; ensnare; enmesh.

entoil British

/ ɪnˈtɔɪl /

verb

(tr) an archaic word for ensnare

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

entoilment noun

Etymology

Origin of entoil

First recorded in 1575–85; en- ¹ + toil ²

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Entoil, en-toil′, v.t. to entangle or ensnare.

From Project Gutenberg

Who shall spread a net to entoil it Or snare it as a bird?

From Project Gutenberg

You entoil my legs, And welcome, for I like it: blind me,—no!

From Project Gutenberg

Shaded was her dream By the dusk curtains:—'twas a midnight charm Impossible to melt as iced stream: The lustrous salvers in the moonlight gleam; Broad golden fringe upon the carpet lies: It seem'd he never, never could redeem From such a stedfast spell his lady's eyes; So mus'd awhile, entoil'd in woofed phantasies.

From Project Gutenberg

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023