Meaning & use
toiling
Last updated
“toiling” is a form of “toil”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
verbintransitive
Working very hard for a long time, usually at something tiring or dull.
Grammar: No object; often followed by away or at: she was toiling away at her desk.
Patterns
- toil away
- toil at something
- toil over something
The farmers were toiling in the fields from dawn until dusk.
She spent years toiling away at her first novel.
Volunteers were toiling over the sandbags as the river rose.
verbintransitiveliterary
Moving slowly and with great effort, especially up a slope or through difficult ground.
Grammar: No object; usually followed by a direction word: toiling up the hill.
Patterns
- toil up something
- toil through something
The climbers were toiling up the steep ridge in the heat.
Soldiers were toiling through deep mud with heavy packs.
An old man was toiling along the road with a cart.
Word forms
| third person singular | toils |
|---|---|
| past tense | toiled |
| past participle | toiled |
| -ing form | toiling |
Common combinations
- toiling away
- Engineers were toiling away in the lab all weekend.
- toiling in the fields
- Workers were toiling in the fields under the hot sun.
- toiling for years
- He had been toiling for years without any recognition.
- toiling up the hill
- The cyclists were toiling up the hill in low gear.
- toiling masses
- The poem honors the toiling masses of the factory age.
Synonyms and how they differ
- slaving
- Slaving suggests even worse, unfair working conditions, while toiling focuses on effort.
- laboring
- Laboring is a plain word for hard work, but toiling adds the sense of tiredness and length.
- grafting
- Grafting is British and informal and can sound proud, whereas toiling sounds more literary and weary.
- struggling
- Struggling stresses difficulty and possible failure, but toiling stresses steady, hard effort.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: toiling or toileting?
toiling vs toileting
Toileting means helping someone use the toilet, which has nothing to do with working hard.
Practice
Dozens of volunteers were ___ through the night to fill sandbags before the flood arrived.
Choose one answer.
Toiling means working very hard over a long time. Lounging and browsing suggest rest, which does not suit an emergency.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “toiling”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.