toil
gb/tˈɔɪl/ us/tˈɔɪl/
B2
English
gürcöl, keményen dolgozik, fáradságos munka, gürcölés, vánszorog, felküzdi magát
VERB
B2
FORMAL
1
gürcöl
B2
Usage pattern:
toil (for [goal]) | toil at/on [task] | toil away
They toiled for months to get the business off the ground.
Hónapokig gürcöltek, hogy beindítsák a vállalkozást.
She toiled all day in the kitchen preparing food for the festival.
Egész nap a konyhában gürcölt, és a fesztiválra készítette az ételeket.
He toiled over the report until the figures finally made sense.
Learner examples
We toiled all day to finish the job.
Egész nap gürcöltünk, hogy befejezzük a munkát.
She toiled for years to support her family.
Évekig gürcölt, hogy eltartsa a családját.
Common mistake:
Using "toil" as a neutral synonym of "work" can sound too strong; it suggests exhausting, often unpleasant work.
Meaning
work extremely hard for long
Collocations
toil for years
|toil long hours
|toil for a living
|toil at a task
|toil over paperwork
|toil in the fields
|toil through the night
|toil under the hot sun
|toil tirelessly
|toil away
Synonyms
labor (More common in American English; can also sound formal.)
|
slog (Emphasizes that it is slow and unpleasant.)
|
grind (Often suggests repetitive, draining work.)
Antonyms
rest (Not working; recovering energy.)
|
relax (Spending time without effort or pressure.)
Themes
work
|effort
|daily_life
Definition
to work very hard for a long time
To work very hard for a long time, especially at tiring or physically demanding tasks.
NOUN
C1
FORMAL
2
gürcölés
B2
Usage pattern:
[years/days] of toil
After years of toil, they finally paid off the mortgage.
Évekig tartó fáradságos munka után végre kifizették a jelzáloghitelt.
The project required a great deal of toil and patience.
A projekt rengeteg fáradságos munkát és türelmet igényelt.
He looked back on a life of toil with quiet pride.
Learner examples
It took years of toil to build the company.
Évek fáradságos munkájára volt szükség a cég felépítéséhez.
Common mistake:
In modern English, the noun "toil" is usually uncountable ("much toil," "years of toil"), not "a toil".
Meaning
hard, tiring work
Collocations
years of toil
|hard toil
|endless toil
|backbreaking toil
|manual toil
|reward for your toil
|the fruits of your toil
|after much toil
|a life of toil
|toil and hardship
Synonyms
hard work (More neutral and more common.)
|
labor (Can suggest physical work or work done by workers as a group.)
|
drudgery (Emphasizes boring, unpleasant routine work.)
Antonyms
leisure (Time free from work and duties.)
|
ease (Lack of difficulty or strain.)
Themes
work
|effort
Definition
hard work that is tiring and takes time
Hard, tiring work, especially work that takes a long time and a lot of effort.
VERB
C1
LITERARY
3
vánszorog
B2
Usage pattern:
toil up/down/along/through [place]
They toiled up the steep track with heavy backpacks.
Nehéz hátizsákokkal vánszorogtak fel a meredek ösvényen.
The old car toiled up the mountain road in first gear.
Az öreg autó első fokozatban vánszorgott felfelé a hegyi úton.
She toiled through the deep sand toward the water.
Learner examples
We toiled up the hill with our bags.
A csomagjainkkal vánszorogtunk fel a dombra.
Common mistake:
This meaning is relatively literary; in everyday speech, "struggle" or "trudge" is more natural.
Meaning
move with great effort
Collocations
toil up a hill
|toil up the stairs
|toil along the road
|toil through the snow
|toil across the desert
Synonyms
trudge (Walking slowly with heavy steps.)
|
struggle (Broader; can be physical or figurative.)
|
plod (Slow, steady movement, often dull or tiring.)
Antonyms
glide (Move smoothly and easily.)
|
stroll (Walk in a relaxed way.)
Themes
movement
|effort
Definition
to move slowly because it is hard
To move, climb, or progress slowly with difficulty and effort.
Grammar
Dictionary form
toil
IPA
GB/tˈɔɪl/
US/tˈɔɪl/
Syllables & stress
toil (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (toil)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: toil
- Plural: toil
Verb
- Base: toil
- 3rd Person Singular: toils
- Present Participle: toiling
- Past: toiled
Expressions
the fruits of (your/one's) toil
1/ðə fɹˈuts əv jˈɔɹˈoʊnz tˈɔɪl/
idiom
formal
results of hard work
the good results you get after working hard
Examples
- After the launch, the team finally enjoyed the fruits of their toil.
- She wanted her children to benefit from the fruits of her toil.
- Years later, he could see the fruits of his toil in the thriving community he helped build.
Learner examples
- I am happy to see the fruits of my toil.
toil and trouble
1/tˈɔɪl ˈænd tɹˈʌbəl/
fixed phrase
literary
hard work and problems
hard work and many problems
Examples
- It took a lot of toil and trouble to get the permit approved.
- They joked that planning the wedding was all toil and trouble.
- After months of toil and trouble, the renovation was finally finished.
toil away
1/tˈɔɪl əwˈeɪ/
phrasal verb
formal
work hard continuously
to keep working very hard
Examples
- He toiled away at his thesis all summer.
- While everyone else relaxed, she was toiling away in the office.
- They toiled away for hours to clear the debris.
Learner examples
- I toiled away at my homework all evening.
toil over
1/tˈɔɪl ˈoʊvɚ/
phrasal verb
formal
work hard on details
to work a long time on something difficult
Examples
- He toiled over the contract, checking every clause.
- She toiled over the translation for weeks.
- They toiled over the budget numbers until midnight.
Learner examples
- I toiled over the math problems.