MOIL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does moil mean? 

• MOIL (verb)
  The verb MOIL has 3 senses:

1. work hard

2. be agitated

3. moisten or soil

  Familiarity information: MOIL used as a verb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MOIL (verb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Work hard

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

dig; drudge; fag; grind; labor; labour; moil; toil; travail

Context example:

Lexicographers drudge all day long

Hypernyms (to "moil" is one way to...):

do work; work (be employed)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s PP

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be agitated

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

boil; churn; moil; roil

Context example:

the sea was churning in the storm

Hypernyms (to "moil" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "moil"):

roll; seethe (boil vigorously)

Sentence frame:

Something ----s

Sentence example:

The water moils

Sense 3

Meaning:

Moisten or soil

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

Her tears moiled the letter

Hypernyms (to "moil" is one way to...):

smear (stain by smearing or daubing with a dirty substance)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

 Context examples 

"I shall have to toil and moil all my days, with only little bits of fun now and then, and get old and ugly and sour, because I'm poor and can't enjoy my life as other girls do. It's a shame!"

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)