Toil
/tɔɪl/
nounverbB2
Definition
Toil means to do hard, difficult, and long work that usually makes you tired. It can be used as a verb when someone is working hard or as a noun to talk about the hard work itself. People often use it when the work is physically or mentally demanding.
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See It in Action
To work very hard and for a long time (verb)
- •She toiled in the kitchen all afternoon preparing dinner.
- •The workers toiled under the hot sun to finish the road.
- •He toiled night and day to complete his project on time.
Hard and tiring work (noun)
- •After hours of toil, the field was finally ready for planting.
- •Their success came after much toil and sacrifice.
- •The toil of building the house was worth it in the end.
Make It Stick
- ✓Think of "toil" like "work" (A1 word), but much harder and more tiring—like working without stopping for a long time
- ✓Picture a farmer working all day in the hot sun, sweating and not stopping—that is toil
- ✓It's the feeling when you are very tired after doing a difficult job that needs a lot of effort
- ✓Sounds like "toil" → imagine boiling water making bubbles, like hard work bubbling up and not stopping
- ✓In stories, heroes often have to toil before they reach their goal, showing struggle and effort
- ✓NOT like "play" (fun and easy), toil is serious and hard work
- ✓NOT like "rest" (stop working), toil means continuous effort without rest
- ✓NOT like "work" in general, toil is work that is very difficult and exhausting
Try Other Words
- •Labor: physical or hard work (Use when emphasizing physical effort)
- •Struggle: a difficult effort to do something (Use when the work involves difficulty or fighting against problems)
- •Drudgery: boring, hard work (Use when the work is not only hard but also dull and repetitive)
- •Effort: the energy used to do something (Use when focusing on the energy or force put into work)
Unboxing
- •Word parts: (no prefix or suffix) — a simple root word "toil"
- •Etymology: From Old French "toiler" meaning to trouble or disturb, from Latin "tudiculare" meaning to beat or strike
- •Historical development: Originally meant to trouble or cause pain, later came to mean hard work or labor
- •Modern usage: Used to describe hard, tiring work, often with a sense of continuous effort or struggle
- •Key insight: Toil always shows work that is not easy, usually long and tiring
Reflect & Connect
•How do you feel when you have to toil for a long time? Does it make success more valuable?
•Can you think of examples in your life or stories where people had to toil before reaching their goal?
Fill in the blanks
1.The farmers toiled ___ the hot sun all day to harvest the crops.
2.After many hours of toil, she finally ___ the difficult task.
3.Unlike easy jobs, toil usually ___ a lot of energy and patience.
4.Sometimes people have to toil ___ to achieve their dreams.
5.Toil is different from simple work because it often ___ both the body and mind.
6.He didn’t just work; he toiled ___ to finish the project on time.
7.The story shows how the hero’s toil led to ___ success and happiness.