Synonyms of toils

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

• tangle
• trap
• web
• entanglement
• snare
• morass
• quicksand
• quagmire
• labyrinth
• noose
• net
• maze
• mesh(es)
• tanglement
• snarl
• knot
• cobweb
• cat's cradle
• spiderweb

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

• labors
• struggles
• strives
• works
• endeavors
• slaves
• tries
• hustles
• tugs
• sweats
• travails
• plows
• drudges
• slogs
• plods
• digs (away)
• grubs
• humps
• pegs (away)
• plugs
• strains
• fags
• bangs away
• beavers (away)
• sweats blood
• moils
• applies (oneself)
• hammers (away)
• buckles (down)
• attacks
• exerts
• knuckles down
• pitches in
• overworks
• wades
• drives
• exercises
• essays
• trudges
• scratches
• digs in
• ekes out
• grinds (out)
• overexerts
• scrabbles
• puts out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breaks
• slackens
• eases (up)
• shirks
• dallies
• lazes
• rests
• lets up
• basks
• idles
• hangs (around or out)
• chills
• slacks (off)
• loafs
• reposes
• unwinds
• bums
• lolls
• goldbricks
• lounges
• relaxes
• goofs (off)
• hacks (around)
• dillydallies
• plays
• hangs
• dabbles
• trifles
• footles
• fribbles
• vegges out
• putters (around)
• fools around
• doodles
• goofs (around)
• monkeys (around)
• potters (around)
• messes around
• hangs about

Example Sentences

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