The Britannica Dictionary
mobile search
Home
Ask the Editor
Word of the Day
Quizzes
Core Vocabulary
Browse the Dictionary
×
Britannica Homepage
Ask the Editor
Word of the Day
Quizzes
Core Vocabulary
Browse the Dictionary
The Britannica Dictionary
travail
1 ENTRIES FOUND:
travail
(noun)
travail
/trə
ˈ
veɪl/
noun
plural
travails
travail
/trə
ˈ
veɪl/
noun
plural
travails
Britannica Dictionary definition of TRAVAIL
1
[
count
]
formal
:
a difficult experience or situation
—
usually plural
The book describes the political
travails
of the President during his first year in office.
[+] more examples
[-] hide examples
[+] Example sentences
[-] Hide examples
2
[
noncount
]
literary
:
painful or difficult work or effort
They finally succeeded after many months of
travail
.
[+] more examples
[-] hide examples
[+] Example sentences
[-] Hide examples
ASK THE EDITOR
What are the plural forms of
check-in
,
passerby
, and
spoonful
?
See the answer »
QUIZZES
Vocabulary Quiz
Test your word power
Take the Quiz »
Name That Thing
Take our visual quiz
Test Your Knowledge »
WORD OF THE DAY
edible
:
suitable or safe to eat
Learn More »