travail

1 of 2

noun

tra·​vail trə-ˈvāl How to pronounce travail (audio) ˈtra-ˌvāl How to pronounce travail (audio)
Synonyms of travailnext
1
a
: work especially of a painful or laborious nature : toil
b
: a physical or mental exertion or piece of work : task, effort
c
: agony, torment
2
: labor, childbirth

travail

2 of 2

verb

tra·​vail trə-ˈvāl How to pronounce travail (audio) ˈtra-ˌvāl How to pronounce travail (audio)
 in prayer-​book communion service usually  ˈtra-ˌvāl
travailed; travailing; travails

intransitive verb

1
: to labor hard : toil
2
: labor sense 4

Did you know?

Etymologists are pretty certain that travail comes from trepalium, the Late Latin name of an instrument of torture. We don't know exactly what a trepalium looked like, but the word's history gives us an idea. Trepalium is derived from the Latin tripalis, which means "having three stakes" (from tri-, meaning "three," and palus, meaning "stake"). From trepalium sprang the Anglo-French verb travailler, which originally meant "to torment" but eventually acquired the milder senses "to trouble" and "to journey." The Anglo-French noun travail was borrowed into English in the 13th century, along with another descendant of travailler, travel.

Synonyms

Noun

Verb

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 
Choose the Right Synonym for travail

work, labor, travail, toil, drudgery, grind mean activity involving effort or exertion.

work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

Examples of travail in a Sentence

Noun They finally succeeded after many months of travail. no greater travail than that of parents who have suffered the death of a child Verb Labor Day is the day on which we recognize those men and women who daily travail with little appreciation or compensation.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Chan, who wrote the screenplay after the birth of her first child, presents a deeply empathetic depiction of Jing’s travails. —Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024 Much of the travails—from making the Champions League to finishing 12th and 14th in the last two campaigns—come down to an identity crisis. —Henry Flynn, Forbes, 26 Oct. 2024
Verb
Clap back:DeSantis criticizes 'daily drama' of Trump's leadership style, ratcheting up growing tensions Trump travails:Is Donald Trump being arrested? —David Jackson, USA TODAY, 23 Mar. 2023 See all Example Sentences for travail 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from travailler to torment, labor, journey, from Vulgar Latin *trepaliare to torture, from Late Latin trepalium instrument of torture, from Latin tripalis having three stakes, from tri- + palus stake — more at pole

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of travail was in the 13th century

Podcast

Theme music by Joshua Stamper ©2006 New Jerusalem Music/ASCAP

Dictionary Entries Near travail

trav

travail

Travancore

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Travail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/travail. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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Kids Definition

travail

noun
tra·​vail
trə-ˈvā(ə)l,
ˈtrav-ˌāl
1
: work especially of a painful or difficult nature : toil
2
: agony sense 1, torment
travail verb
Etymology

Noun

Middle English travail "hard labor," from early French travail (same meaning), from travailler (verb) "to torment, labor" — related to travel see Word History at travel

Medical Definition

travail

noun
tra·​vail trə-ˈvā(ə)l How to pronounce travail (audio) ˈtrav-ˌāl How to pronounce travail (audio)
: labor, childbirth
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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