toils 1 of 2

noun

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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toils

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of toil
as in labors
to devote serious and sustained effort toiled for many years on the mammoth outdoor sculpture

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 toils
Noun
The gods themselves are also an unnerving presence, omnipresent beings of colossal power who see humans as their playthings and view Ulysses' toils as some twisted spectator sport. — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 17 July 2026 There has to be a chance that Jos Buttler’s toils in Sri Lanka and India represent his last ventures on the international stage, and therefore the end of an era. — Paul Newman, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026 Both were premised on the idea of frictionless ease, liberating their users from outmoded toils. — Jake Lundberg, The Atlantic, 19 Feb. 2026 The conceit of narrating a year in one’s life through the toils and sensations of the kitchen is one that many have taken up before. — Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
Anthony Hernandez toils in the brutish profession that is a mixed martial arts fighter, no wimps allowed. — Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 25 July 2026 The silent sci-fi film, which depicts a dystopian future in which the wealthy upper class prospers in a utopia while the working class lives and toils in a dismal underground society, was released in theaters in 1927. — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 16 June 2026 While Alina toils in the greenhouses, Lucian makes new friends. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 13 May 2026 Yoriko toils in anonymity in Nagi as a sculptor of human figures hewn from raw blocks of wood. — Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2026 Union itself released a dramatic trailer set in a surgical amphitheater in which a medical team toils away at the sneaker. — Ian Servantes, Footwear News, 4 Feb. 2026 Several Democratic incumbents are seeing their young primary opponents boast impressive fundraising numbers as the party toils between placing its faith in its incumbent establishment or in a future featuring younger, more progressive candidates. — Molly Parks, The Washington Examiner, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toils
  1. tangle
  2. labors
  3. trap
  4. struggles
  5. web
  6. strives
  7. entanglement
  8. works
Noun
  • The Bell Jar Tracing the tangle of a new job in New York City and the simultaneous onrush of clinical depression, The Bell Jar brings the interior world of central character Esther Greenwood into stunning relief.
    — Caroline Rogers, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Penske has designed tracks through city blocks, but never through both federal and municipal grounds with a tangle of buildings that include the Department of Justice, the Federal Trade Commission and the National Archives.
    — Adam Kilgore, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of tangle
Verb
  • Thoroughly unimpressed by her suburban idyll, and evidently unmoved by her responsibilities as wife and mother, Denise labors in her basement on a novel whose protagonist wishes to forsake her family for a life in New York.
    — Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026
  • Every man and woman who labors in the construction industry deserves that.
    — Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
Definition of labors
Noun
  • Speaking with the New York Times in December, Teresa Griffin, a wildlife manager with the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, shared that the group traps and releases about 60 beavers a year.
    — Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
  • From plates and knives not being clean to flies stuck on traps, health inspectors in Missouri and Kansas found numerous violations at Kansas City-area restaurants last week.
    — Joseph Hernandez August 31, Kansas City Star, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of trap
Verb
  • Las Vegas struggles to generate second chances without her on the court.
    — Sabreena Merchant, New York Times, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Huang also pushed back against concerns that Nvidia could be left on the hook if one of those companies struggles.
    — Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of struggles
Noun
  • OpenAI's security and safety practices have been under intense scrutiny after the company disclosed that two of its models escaped their training environment, accessed the open web and breached Hugging Face's systems last month.
    — Ashley Capoot, CNBC, 1 Sep. 2026
  • The all-black look was completed with custom Miss Z pumps from Louboutin, carrying the arachnid theme down to her feet with a mesh spider-web design and 3D spider adornments.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of web
Verb
  • This is all while Venus in Libra strives for justice, balance, cooperation and relationships that feel mutually considerate.
    — Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Chesney called Martin an unbelievable leader and said that his energy will give people a window into what his program strives to look like.
    — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of strives
Noun
  • Stars Dakota Fanning as a woman whose relationship with her boyfriend hits a rough patch just as her ex reappears in her life, leading to messy entanglements in the Alaskan wilderness.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 28 Aug. 2026
  • But the company’s earnings call on Wednesday also underscored the financial entanglements between the chipmaker, the hyperscalers and the rest of the AI industry.
    — Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of entanglement
Verb
  • If the model works, Hund says Rare Ventures will expand to include more diseases and potentially fund more treatments.
    — Brad Quick, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Related Stories The film follows Di Marco’s titular character, a disabled young adult who works as a dominant at a fetish house.
    — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of works

Browse Nearby Words

toiling
toils
toilsome
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Cite this Entry

“Toils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toils. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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