Toil
/tɔɪl/
Definitions
2 meaningsTo work long and hard, often with great effort and difficulty.
/tɔɪl/
To work extremely hard or incessantly.
The construction workers toiled in the harsh sunlight all day.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're trying to build a LEGO castle but you keep running out of blocks and have to search everywhere for them. That's like toiling: working hard and sometimes struggling.
👶 For kids: Toil means to work really, really hard, like when you're trying to build a tall tower with blocks.
More Examples
She toiled tirelessly on her research project, determined to succeed.
They toiled for weeks, finally completing the intricate sculpture.
How It's Used
"Farmers toil in the fields from dawn till dusk."
"He toiled for years, striving to complete his masterpiece."
Difficult, continuous work or labor.
/tɔɪl/
Hard and continuous work.
The farmer endured the toil of planting and harvesting.
💡 Simply: Think of doing lots of homework, or helping your parents clean the house, or a job that makes you sweat. That's the toil—the hard work.
👶 For kids: Toil is when you work really hard to do something, like when you have to clean your room!
More Examples
She was no stranger to the daily toil of running a small business.
The soldiers faced the toil of combat and difficult conditions.
How It's Used
"The daily toil of managing a busy household can be exhausting."
"His success was the result of years of hard toil and dedication."
Synonyms
Idioms & expressions
blood, sweat, and toil
Intense and exhausting work, often involving significant effort and sacrifice.
"The company's success was built on years of blood, sweat, and toil."
hard toil
Great amount of work that takes a lot of effort.
"The project required months of hard toil."
From Old French *toile* meaning 'struggle, battle,' ultimately from the Latin *tolere* 'to bear, endure.'
Used in literature and historical accounts to describe arduous labor and struggle.
Memory tip
Think of the physical exertion when you *toil*—it requires a lot of effort like digging in soil.