toil
Usage
What are other ways to say toil?
Toil suggests wearying or exhausting labor: toil that breaks down the worker's health. Drudgery suggests continuous, dreary, and dispiriting work, especially of a menial or servile kind: the drudgery of household tasks. Labor particularly denotes hard manual work: backbreaking labor; arduous labor. Work is the general word and may apply to exertion that is either easy or hard: fun work; heavy work.
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.
See Examples For:
This is an incredible start to their adult life; most working people take years of toil to get to that level.
From MarketWatch β Jul. 10, 2026
Better, he figured, to find ways to bring in income now than toil without certainty of success.
From The Wall Street Journal β Jun. 25, 2026
Putting my first special out has been so liberating because as a comedian, we can toil and toil forever, moving punchlines around, moving premises around, and new current events can influence your content.
From Los Angeles Times β Jun. 18, 2026
When the new Rangers striker made it 2-1, then 3-1, a day of toil against the 10 men of Curacao - world ranking of 82 - turned into something altogether more palatable.
From BBC β May 30, 2026
Himself has hitherto sufficed to the toil, and the toil draws near its close: his glorious sun hastens to its setting.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte BrontΓ«
John toils as a sheep farmer and weaver, and practices a fire-and-brimstone form of Presbyterianism.
From The Wall Street Journal β May 1, 2026
As Baraa toils on, he longs for a return to a normal life with prospects of more profitable employment.
From BBC β Nov. 29, 2025
Boyarsky toils in a back room drenched in natural light, her cat Roxy at her side.
From Los Angeles Times β Nov. 4, 2023
Even “Minari,” which chronicled the toils of a Korean immigrant family, offered a rare look at Asian American life in rural Arkansas.
From New York Times β Jul. 6, 2023
Through many dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come.
From "The Seven Wonders of Sassafras Springs" by Betty G. Birney
Northern Ireland's McIlroy played alongside his European Ryder Cup team-mate as the pair toiled late on a baking day, although he did finish positively with a birdie on the 18th.
From BBC β Jul. 16, 2026
A native of Sonora, Mexico, Yepez and her husband toiled at various food trucks and restaurants until 2018, when they launched a series of stands named after their daughter: Ricos Tacos Naomi.
From Los Angeles Times β Jul. 8, 2026
Veteran Jessica Pegula, 32, the top-ranked American who also toiled away on the sport’s lower tier before becoming a top-10 mainstay, appreciates Liu’s resolve.
From Los Angeles Times β Jul. 2, 2026
Before becoming a delivery driver, he toiled for nearly two years in factories, working 12-hour shifts while making about $170 a month.
From The Wall Street Journal β May 23, 2026
But still, it was not for this that she and all the other animals had hoped and toiled.
From "Animal Farm: A Fairy Story" by George Orwell
Since last year, Japanese businesses have faced tougher legal requirements to help employees toiling in the heat.
From Barron's β Aug. 25, 2026
Moondra, who was born in India but moved to Dublin to study in 2021, then claimed the wickets of Abhiskek Sharma and captain Shreyas Iyer to leave India toiling on 19-3.
From BBC β Jun. 28, 2026
Working, after all, is how a majority of people must spend most of their waking hours, and toiling away in an industry or at a position you find grating will undoubtedly make you miserable.
From MarketWatch β Jun. 22, 2026
And instead of toiling away for a moribund franchise, Garrett will now have a shot at a Super Bowl.
From The Wall Street Journal β Jun. 2, 2026
You make something, seems like, and spend the rest of your days toiling so it won’t go all unraveled.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
Vocabulary lists containing toil
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Labor Day Lexicon: Words That Put You To Work
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Animal Farm
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