toils
Definition
- Noun (plural):
- Traps or snares: "toils" refers to nets, snares, or traps used for catching animals, often in hunting.
- Something that confines or ensnares: In a figurative sense, "toils" can mean any situation or circumstance that entraps or restricts someone, such as difficulties, burdens, or obligations.
Usage Examples
- (Physical traps or nets used for hunting.)
- (Figurative sense: trapped in a difficult situation.)
- (Figurative: freed from a confining or dangerous plan.)
Advanced Usage
- "caught in the toils of something": to be trapped or entangled in a difficult or restrictive situation.
- He was caught in the toils of addiction for years. (He was trapped by his addiction.)
- "to escape the toils": to free oneself from a confining or dangerous circumstance.
- The company managed to escape the toils of bankruptcy. (The company avoided being trapped by financial ruin.)
Variants and Related Words
- Toil (verb): to work hard and continuously.
- They toiled in the fields from dawn to dusk. (They worked laboriously.)
- Toil (noun): hard and continuous work; labor.
- The toil of building the house was exhausting. (The hard work involved.)
Synonyms
- Snares: traps set to catch animals or people.
- Entanglements: situations that cause confusion or difficulty.
- Burdens: heavy loads or responsibilities that restrict freedom.
Idioms
- "to be in the toils": to be in a state of hard work or difficulty.
- After months in the toils of exam preparation, she finally rested. (She was deeply engaged in challenging work.)
- "to fall into the toils": to become trapped or ensnared.
- The spy fell into the toils of the enemy's interrogation. (He became trapped in a dangerous situation.)
Related Phrasal Verbs
- Toil away: to work hard and persistently at something.
- She toiled away at her novel for years. (She worked diligently on her writing.)
- Toil through: to proceed with great effort through a difficult task.
- He toiled through the dense textbook. (He struggled to read and understand it.)