Skip to main content
toil

toil

16 5.8
Hard, continuous work that uses a lot of physical effort
  • noun
  • /tɔɪl/
translation icon : trabajo duro
  • His life was filled with toil as he worked two jobs to support his family.
  • toil and sweat
  • long toil

The sweat and toil and blood of Ash.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat," he said.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • I believe that for the Senufo, toil is both an attribute and a sign of work in the fields.

    Academic text (1993)
  • All who shared the toil will share this gold!

  • Not as much war, not as much toil and sweat.

  • During the rainy season, toil in the fields took central place.

    Academic text (2004)
  • Education provided an opportunity to distance oneself from the everyday toil of work life.

    Academic text (1995)
  • His face was worn from long years of toil; his clothing was ragged.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Most humans throughout modern history have aspired to a life with more leisure and less toil.

    Academic text (2018)
  • We may allow ourselves a brief period of rejoicing, but let us not forget for a moment the toils and efforts that lie ahead.

  • Now they were homeward bound and they were leaving the hardship and toil of Alaska to live in the land of milk and honey.

Synonyms

work
vstoil
1.0

Effort people use to do a job or task

is specifically long and physically demanding rather than any general effort
labor
vstoil
  • US
606 1.4

Work done using physical effort, often a hard task

is harder and continuous physical effort rather than a single task
hard work
vstoil
355 1.6

A lot of steady effort to achieve something difficult

is continuous physical effort that emphasizes long tiring exertion

Antonyms

703 1.0

A period when you stop activity to relax or sleep

8 4.5

A time when someone is not working or active

How Hard

slave labour
  • NSFW
20 4.4
drudgery
13 7.0
toil
16 5.8
labor
  • US
606 1.4
work
1.0

Surface Forms

toil singular
toils plural

Etymology

Toil comes from an old word meaning 'to pull' or 'struggle', so imagine someone hauling a heavy load. That's why toil means long, hard work.