toil
To work very hard for a long time.
toil in a sentence
- The farmers toiled in the fields from sunrise until the light faded.
- Ants toil all day long, carrying crumbs many times their own size back to the nest.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to toil?
- Arelax
- Blabour
- Claze
- Drest
Show the answer
B: labour. The other three mean the opposite of toil.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to toil?
- Alabour
- Bwork
- Crest
- Dslog
Show the answer
C: rest. The other three mean nearly the same as toil.
Words that mean something similar
labour, slog, work
Words that mean the opposite
rest, relax, laze
More words about movement & action
- totter: To walk or stand unsteadily, as if about to fall.
- traipse: To walk somewhere slowly and unwillingly because you are tired.
- traverse: To travel across something from one side to the other.
- trek: A long, difficult journey on foot.
- trudge: To walk slowly with heavy steps because you are tired.
- tussle: A rough struggle or fight, usually not serious.
- undulate: To move in gentle waves, rising and falling.
- unearth: To dig something up or discover something hidden.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test