take its toll

Idioms  

1. Be damaging or harmful, cause loss or destruction, as in The civil war has taken its toll on both sides, or The heavy truck traffic has taken its toll on the highways. This expression transfers the taking of toll, a tribute or tax, to exacting other costs. [Late 1800s]

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Example Sentences

A long and arduous season is bound to take its toll at some stage and star striker Erling Haaland could do with a rest.

From BBC • Feb. 11, 2026

The Federal Aviation Administration ordered a staggered reduction in flights at the start of November as the funding lapse began to take its toll on air-traffic controllers.

From Barron's • Nov. 27, 2025

Of course, Wikipedians are human, and the harassment many of them receive can take its toll.

From Slate • Oct. 22, 2025

As global warming continues to take its toll, the number of training cities gets smaller and cities able to host the Winter Olympics are fewer.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 1, 2024

I’d actually been operating on about two hours of sleep a night for the past week, and it was beginning to take its toll on me.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline