# toil

/ˈtɔɪɫ/ (US) · /tˈɔɪl/ (UK) · CEFR C1 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/toil
Updated: 2026-05-11

## Definition

hard work that is physically or mentally tiring and lasts for a long time.

For teachers: prolonged, exhausting physical or mental labour. Often used in literary or formal contexts to emphasise the difficulty or repetitive nature of a task.

## Examples

- After years of toil, the farmer finally owned his land.
- The ancient monuments stand as a testament to the decades of human toil required to move such massive stones.
- The scholar's life was one of quiet toil, spent mostly in dusty archives piecing together fragments of a forgotten language that few others cared to understand.

## Usage notes

- Typically uncountable when referring to the abstract concept of hard work; occasionally used with 'the' in literary descriptions of specific struggles.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.