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

See Examples For:

take its toll

Did this workload take its toll as the tournament progressed?

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

But that same physicality can take its toll in the latter stages of the Champions League, when players are feeling the strain after eight months of relentless action.

From Barron's ● Jan. 29, 2026

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

From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2025

The victory, though sweet, began to take its toll on Vázquez.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 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