toil
1 of 3noun (1)
toil
2 of 3verb
intransitive verb
transitive verb
toil
3 of 3noun (2)
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- donkeywork
- drudge
- drudgery
- fatigue
- grind
- labor
- moil
- slavery
- sweat
- travail
Verb
- bang away
- beaver (away)
- dig (away)
- drudge
- endeavor
- fag
- grub
- hump
- hustle
- labor
- moil
- peg (away)
- plod
- plow
- plug
- slave
- slog
- strain
- strive
- struggle
- sweat
- travail
- tug
- work
Noun (2)
- entanglement
- mesh(es)
- morass
- net
- noose
- quagmire
- quicksand
- snare
- tanglement
- trap
- web
Example Sentences
Word History
Noun (1)
Middle English toile, from Anglo-French toyl, from toiller
Verb
Middle English, to argue, struggle, from Anglo-French toiller to make dirty, fight, wrangle, from Latin tudiculare to crush, grind, from tudicula machine for crushing olives, diminutive of tudes hammer; akin to Latin tundere to beat — more at contusion
Noun (2)
Middle French toile cloth, net, from Old French teile, Latin tela cloth on a loom — more at subtle
Noun (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun (2)
circa 1529, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Kids Definition
toil 1 of 2
noun
toil
2 of 2verb
toil 1 of 3
noun (1)
Synonyms & Similar Words
- labor
- effort
- drudgery
- sweat
- pains
- drudge
- travail
- exertion
- grind
- fatigue
- slavery
- struggle
- moil
- trouble
- donkeywork
- responsibility
- tedium
- job
- duty
- spadework
- obligation
- chore
- treadmill
- routine
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- rest
- leisure
- ease
- play
- fun
- relaxation
- repose
- amusement
- idleness
- entertainment
- recreation
- decompression
- diversion
- sport
- inertia
- inactivity
- loafing
- dalliance
- dormancy
- inertness
- lolling
- lounging
- dallying
- goldbricking
toil
2 of 3noun (2)
Synonyms & Similar Words
- tangle
- morass
- quagmire
- trap
- quicksand
- entanglement
- labyrinth
- net
- web
- snare
- noose
- maze
- tanglement
- mesh(es)
- snarl
- cobweb
- knot
- cat's cradle
- spiderweb
toil
3 of 3verb
Synonyms & Similar Words
- labor
- struggle
- work
- sweat
- travail
- drudge
- strive
- slave
- moil
- plow
- endeavor
- slog
- hustle
- tug
- try
- strain
- grub
- plod
- bang away
- hump
- sweat blood
- fag
- plug
- peg (away)
- pitch in
- dig (away)
- exercise
- beaver (away)
- overwork
- trudge
- exert
- scratch
- knuckle down
- essay
- attack
- drive
- eke out
- wade
- dig in
- buckle (down)
- overexert
- apply (oneself)
- scrabble
- hammer (away)
- put out
- grind (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- break
- slacken
- shirk
- ease (up)
- idle
- rest
- bum
- bask
- chill
- repose
- laze
- lounge
- loaf
- let up
- relax
- hang (around or out)
- unwind
- dally
- slack (off)
- goof (off)
- loll
- hack (around)
- play
- trifle
- hang
- goldbrick
- dabble
- dillydally
- footle
- veg out
- fool around
- hang about
- goof (around)
- doodle
- monkey (around)
- mess around
- potter (around)
- putter (around)
- fribble
Synonym Chooser
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.
Although the words drudgery and toil have much in common, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.
The words grind and toil can be used in similar contexts, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.
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.
While the synonyms travail and toil are close in meaning, travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.
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.