toil (redirected from toils)

toil for someone 

1. to work on behalf of someone or for someone's benefit. I don't mind toiling for her as long as she thanks me. I don't know why I toil for you. You are totally ungrateful.

2. to do someone else's work. I don't know why I should have to toil for you. Do your own work! I won't toil for him. He can do his own work.

toil for something 

1. to work toward a particular goal or ideal. I am willing to toil for something I believe in. She spent the afternoon toiling for her favorite charity.

2. to work for a certain rate of pay. It's hard to toil for slave's wages. Do you expect me to toil endlessly for such low pay?

toil over someone or something

to work hard on someone or something. The doctors toiled over the patient for hours. Ken toiled over his model plane well into the night.

toil up something

to work hard to climb something steep. The hikers toiled up the slope slowly. As the bus toiled up the hill, we worried that the engine might be overheating.

See also: up