Meanings
toil1
plural toils · alternative obsolete toyle
- countableuncountableLabour, work, especially of a grueling nature.
[…] he set to work again and made the snow fly in all directions around him. After some further toil his efforts were rewarded, and a very shabby door-mat lay exposed to view.
1908, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the WillowsSynonyms: derve, drudgery, swink, sweat, chores, drudgery, drudgework, fatigue
- countableplural normallyuncountableA net or snare; any thread, web, or string spread for taking prey.
Then toils for beasts, and lime for birds, were found.
1697, Virgil, translated by John Dryden, Georgics3 more examples
I was like a wild beast that had broken the toils, destroying the objects that obstructed me and ranging through the wood with a stag-like swiftness.
1823, Mary Shelley, FrankensteinThat I was going to sit still, and let you sulk, while mademoiselle walked blindfold into the toils?
1893, Stanley J. Weyman, “XIX. Men call it chance”, in A Gentleman of FranceShe had waited overlong, and now it was like that Ailie would escape her toils.
1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide
present singular third person toils · participle present toiling · participle past toiled · past toiled · alternative obsolete toyle
- intransitiveTo struggle.
- transitiveTo work (something); often with out.
places well toiled and husbanded
1601, C[aius] Plinius Secundus [i.e., Pliny the Elder], “(please specify |book=I to XXXVII)”, in Philemon Holland, transl., The Historie of the World. Commonly Called, The Naturall Historie of C. Plinius Secundus. […], (please specify |tome=1 or 2), London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC1 more example
[I] toiled out my uncouth passage.
1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC - transitiveTo weary through excessive labour.
toiled with works of war
1595 December 9 (first known performance), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Richard the Second”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies: Published According to the True Originall Copies (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene i]
TOIL2
Synonyms & antonyms
nounLabour, work, especially of a grueling nature.
verbTo labour; work.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Dutchtuylen, teulen“to work, labour, till”
- Middle Englishtoilen, toylen
- Proto-Germanic*tilōną“to strive, reach for, aim for, hurry”
- Old Englishtilian, telian, teolian, tiolian“to exert oneself, toil, work, make, generate, strive after, try, endeavor, procure, obtain, gain, provide, tend, cherish, cultivate, till, plough, trade, traffic, aim at, aspire to, treat, cure”
- Middle Englishtilyen, telien, teolien, tolen, tolien, tulien“to till, work, labour”
- Anglo-Normantoiller“to agitate, stir up, entangle”
- Middle Englishtoilen, toylen
- Englishtoil
From Middle English toilen, toylen, apparently a conflation of Anglo-Norman toiller (“to agitate, stir up, entangle”) (compare Old Northern French tooillier, tooullier (“to agitate, stir”); of unknown origin), and Middle English tilyen, telien, teolien, tolen, tolien, tulien (“to till, work, labour”), from Old English tilian, telian, teolian, tiolian (“to exert oneself, toil, work, make, generate, strive after, try, endeavor, procure, obtain, gain, provide, tend, cherish, cultivate, till, plough, trade, traffic, aim at, aspire to, treat, cure”) (compare Middle Dutch tuylen, teulen (“to till, work, labour”)), from Proto-Germanic *tilōną (“to strive, reach for, aim for, hurry”). Cognate with Scots tulyie (“to quarrel, flite, contend”). An alternate etymology derives Middle English toilen, toylen directly from Middle Dutch tuylen, teulen (“to work, labour, till”), from tuyl ("agriculture, labour, toil"; > Modern Dutch tuil (“toil; work”)). Cognate with Old Frisian teula (“to labour, toil”), teule (“labour, work”), Dutch tuil (“toil, labour”). Compare also Dutch telen (“to grow; raise; cultivate, till”). More at till.
More words from Middle English, Anglo-Norman, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans bakstaan
- bakstaanto labour, to work
Ancient Greek κόπος, πόνος
- κόπος (kópos)labor, work
- πόνος (pónos)labor, work
- πονέω (ponéō)to labour, to work
- μοχθέω (mokhthéō)to labour, to work
- κοπιάω (kopiáō)to labour, to work
- μογέω (mogéō)to labour, to work
Arabic كَدْح, تَعِبَ
- كَدْح (kadḥ)labor, work
- تَعِبَ (taʕiba)to labour, to work
- كَدَحَ (kadaḥa)to labour, to work
- كَدَ (kada)to labour, to work
Bengali মেহনত
- মেহনত (mehonot)labor, work
Bulgarian тежка работа, трепане
- тежка работа (težka rabota)labor, work
- трепане (trepane)labor, work
- мъка (măka)trouble, strife
- трудя се (trudja se)to labour, to work
- трепя се (trepja se)to labour, to work
Catalan treball
- treballlabor, work
Chinese Mandarin 辛勞 /辛劳, 辛勞 /辛劳
- 辛勞 /辛劳 (xīnláo)labor, work
- 辛勞 /辛劳 (xīnláo)to labour, to work
Czech dřina, lopota
- dřinalabor, work
- lopotalabor, work
- souženítrouble, strife
- trápenítrouble, strife
- dřítto labour, to work
Dutch gezwoeg, werken
- gezwoeglabor, work
- werkento labour, to work
- zwoegento labour, to work
- labeurento labour, to work
Finnish ahkerointi, uurastus
- ahkerointilabor, work
- uurastuslabor, work
- vastuksettrouble, strife
- vaivatrouble, strife
- raataato labour, to work
- rehkiäto labour, to work
French labeur, travailler
- labeurlabor, work
- travaillerto labour, to work
German Mühe, schuften
- Mühelabor, work
- schuftento labour, to work
- sich plagento labour, to work
- sich quälento labour, to work
- robotento labour, to work
Greek κόπος, μόχθος
- κόπος (kópos)labor, work
- μόχθος (móchthos)labor, work
- κοπιάζω (kopiázo)to labour, to work
Hebrew עָמָל, עָמָל
- עָמָל ('amál)labor, work
- עָמָל ('amál)trouble, strife
Irish sclábhaíocht
- sclábhaíochtlabor, work
Italian lavoro, fatica
- lavorolabor, work
- faticalabor, work
- disputatrouble, strife
- tenzonetrouble, strife
- litigiotrouble, strife
- baruffatrouble, strife
- diverbiotrouble, strife
- faticareto labour, to work
- lavorareto labour, to work
Latin labor
- laborlabor, work
Māori whakarīrā, whakarīrā
- whakarīrālabor, work
- whakarīrāto labour, to work
Polish trud
- trudlabor, work
Portuguese labuta, ralar
- labutalabor, work
- ralarto labour, to work
Romanian trudă
- trudălabor, work
Russian труд, рабо́та
- труд (trud)labor, work
- рабо́та (rabóta)labor, work
- беда́ (bedá)trouble, strife
- го́ре (góre)trouble, strife
- труди́ться (trudítʹsja)to labour, to work
- вка́лывать (vkályvatʹ)to labour, to work
Spanish deslomadura, yugar
- deslomaduralabor, work
- yugarto labour, to work
- yuguearto labour, to work
- ajetrearseto labour, to work
- afanarto labour, to work
- afanarseto labour, to work
- apencarto labour, to work
- azacanearto labour, to work
- azacanarseto labour, to work
- pencarto labour, to work
- chaparto labour, to work
- deslomarseto labour, to work
Swedish slit, stret
- slitlabor, work
- stretlabor, work
- slitato labour, to work
- stretato labour, to work
- knogato labour, to work
Tamil உழைப்பு, பாடு
- உழைப்பு (uḻaippu)labor, work
- பாடு (pāṭu)labor, work
- பாடுபடு (pāṭupaṭu)to labour, to work
- உழை (uḻai)to labour, to work
Turkish didinmek
- didinmekto labour, to work
Ukrainian труди́тися
- труди́тися (trudýtysja)to labour, to work
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with toil
Anagrams
Cite this entry
toil. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toil
“toil.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toil. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “toil,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toil.
Source: toil on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.