Meaning & use
toiled
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“toiled” is a form of “toil”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Worked very hard for a long time, usually at something tiring or unpleasant.
Grammar: No object; often followed by at, over or away: toiled over a report.
Patterns
- toil at something
- toil over something
- toil away
The farmers toiled in the fields from sunrise to sunset.
She toiled over her thesis for three years.
Workers toiled away in the factory through the night.
verbintransitive
Moved slowly and with great effort, especially up a slope or through difficult ground.
Grammar: Needs a direction word such as up or through: toiled up the hill.
Patterns
- toil up something
- toil through something
The hikers toiled up the steep path with heavy packs.
The old truck toiled through the deep mud.
He toiled across the sand dunes under the burning sun.
Word forms
| third person singular | toils |
|---|---|
| past tense | toiled |
| past participle | toiled |
| -ing form | toiling |
Common combinations
- toiled away
- He toiled away in the workshop until midnight.
- toiled for years
- She toiled for years to finish the book.
- toiled in the fields
- His parents toiled in the fields every harvest.
- toiled over a problem
- They toiled over the problem all weekend.
- toiled up a hill
- The cyclists toiled up the long hill.
Synonyms and how they differ
- labored
- Labored is a close match, but it can also describe breathing or writing that feels heavy, whereas toiled is mainly about hard work.
- slaved
- Slaved suggests extremely hard work under pressure and is more dramatic than toiled.
- slogged
- Slogged is informal and stresses dull, tiring effort, while toiled sounds more literary.
- worked
- Worked is the neutral word and does not include any sense of hardship.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: toiled or foiled?
toiled vs foiled
Foiled means prevented from succeeding, as in a foiled plan. It sounds similar but is unrelated to hard work.
Practice
The villagers ______ in the rice fields from dawn until dark.
Choose one answer.
Toiled means worked very hard for long hours, which fits a picture of dawn-to-dark labor. The other options suggest ease.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “toiled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.