toils 1 of 2

noun

Definition of toilsnext
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

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for toils
  1. tangle
  2. trap
  3. struggles
  4. web
  5. strives
  6. entanglement
  7. works
  8. snare
Noun
  • As the myriad plot points tangle and hit critical mass, supporting players Sarah Goldberg, Trevor White, Miriam Petche and Jay Duplass deliver gems.
    Carole Horst, Variety, 14 Dec. 2024
  • However, when it’s modified, tau can form toxic aggregates – tangles that degrade these key structures.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Dec. 2024
Definition of tangle
Noun
  • Tech leaders often fall into the trap of isolating themselves within their domains.
    Emil Sayegh, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
  • Carlo Ancelotti’s team fell into that trap 12 times, with headline summer signing Mbappe responsible for eight of those.
    Laia Cervelló Herrero, The Athletic, 30 Dec. 2024
Definition of trap
Verb
  • Especially with some of the bench struggles the Thunder has seen of late, Mitchell’s playmaking and perimeter shooting have been valuable.
    Nick Crain, Forbes, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Brown struggles to show the rest of the Peanuts gang the true meaning of the holiday.
    Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of struggles
Noun
  • Her memoir crystallizes a moment in internet culture when the possibilities of the social web were just beginning to sour.
    Amanda Hess, New York Times, 31 Dec. 2024
  • When these mandates are taken together, U.S. firms will be entangled in a complex regulatory web of confusing disclosures that produce little value for investors and come at great expense.
    Stone Washington, National Review, 31 Dec. 2024
Definition of web
Verb
  • The company strives to be more than just a pet product brand.
    FunnyFuzzy Contributor, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2024
  • Eggers and his go-to production designer Craig Lathrop also put a unique emphasis on building realistic worlds—their production design strives extra hard to close gaps between Eggers’s olden aesthetic and the modern audience’s perception.
    Maya Ibbitson, Architectural Digest, 23 Dec. 2024
Definition of strives
Noun
  • As the sun in Sagittarius energizes your fifth house of creativity and romance, Neptune in your eighth house could stir up emotional insecurities or worse, highlight the dark side of a recent entanglement.
    Valerie Mesa, People.com, 17 Dec. 2024
  • Daniels and Chase brought more oomph to their characters’ romantic entanglement, which has left Lady Larken happily if inconveniently with child, a springboard for the whole screwy marital plot.
    Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 16 Dec. 2024
Definition of entanglement
Verb
  • This handheld vacuum has 69,000 five-star ratings, works on carpet, hardwood, and tile floors, and weighs less than 3 pounds.
    Isabel Garcia, People.com, 30 Nov. 2024
  • Infused with cica, green tea, sunflower seed oil, and vitamin E to soothe and protect the skin barrier, the formula works for people of all skin types.
    Sarah Han, Allure, 30 Nov. 2024
Definition of works
Noun
  • The snare pictures—one of which notably captures the remnants of a meal eaten by Duchamp—would be returned to over and over by Spoerri, who claimed no ownership over the form, asserting that they could be produced by anyone, and required no signature.
    News Desk, Artforum, 27 Nov. 2024
  • In response, the wildlife commission voted to adopt a 36-hour trapping standard for mountain lions, ensuring that live animals are not held in traps or snares for longer than that duration.
    Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 21 June 2024
Definition of snare
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near toils

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 6 Jan. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on toils

Nglish: Translation of toils for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of toils for Arabic Speakers

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