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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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
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Recent Examples of toils
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
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
The film unfolds from the perspective of an eight-year-old girl named Qing (Aline Chen), who lives and works the land with her mother, Hongmei (Li Yanxi), while her father toils in a factory in a faraway city.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Noun
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
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
The film unfolds from the perspective of an eight-year-old girl named Qing (Aline Chen), who lives and works the land with her mother, Hongmei (Li Yanxi), while her father toils in a factory in a faraway city.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toils
Noun
-
This can happen due to your natural hair texture, dryness, or environmental stressors like wind, friction from your pillowcase, or pollution—your cuticles can catch on each other like Velcro, Small says, causing tangles.—
Sarah Felbin,
Allure,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Across the street, through a thick tangle of forest, the Khodymchuks’ building stood tall and gray in the snow.—
Lizzie Johnson,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Every man and woman who labors in the construction industry deserves that.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Spain midfielder fed a superb pass forward to beat the hosts’ offside trap, and Fermín did the rest by firing past David Soria.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Methane traps around 80 times as much heat as CO2 over a 20-year horizon, making the emissions from a buildout of this scale difficult to quantify but impossible to ignore.—
Tejasri Gururaj,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Anticipated state struggles to regulate foreign apps is why a federal ban would be preferable, 19th News reported.—
Ashley Belanger,
ArsTechnica,
1 May 2026
-
In addition to his family situation as a child, Horner's lawyers have presented evidence about his autism diagnosis, struggles with mental health, lead exposure and issues with his brain development in order to convince the jury to sentence him to life in prison instead of death row.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
30 Apr. 2026
Noun
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An analysis of the iPhone showed that Wolfe had allegedly deleted a TOR browser — which is often used to access child pornography on the dark web — during his interview with law enforcement, according to officials.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Backlash swells to Russia web crackdown Public backlash is growing in Russia in response to Moscow’s efforts to tighten control over the internet.—
Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson,
semafor.com,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Add in Michael’s goth love interest, Star (Maria Wirries), and the musical strives to capture some of the cult appeal of the source musical, the plot of which David Hornsby and Chris Hoch’s book follows closely with one notable change.—
Chris Jones,
New York Daily News,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The Eurovision contest strives to put pop music before politics but has repeatedly been embroiled in world events.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Emotional or financial entanglements could feel heavier than usual today, and someone’s words could hit a nerve.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
22 Apr. 2026
-
Angela questions her entanglement with Charles.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Drip irrigation also works well for containers.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2026
-
One genius in the room works for OpenAI, a company currently valued at $852 billion.—
Neil Senturia,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Toils.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toils. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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