toll

[ tohl ]

/ toʊl /

Save This Word!

noun

a payment or fee exacted by the state, the local authorities, etc., for some right or privilege, as for passage along a road or over a bridge.

the extent of loss, damage, suffering, etc., resulting from some action or calamity: The toll was 300 persons dead or missing.

a tax, duty, or tribute, as for services or use of facilities.

a payment made for a long-distance telephone call.

(formerly, in England) the right to take such payment.

a compensation for services, as for transportation or transmission.

grain retained by a miller in payment for grinding.

verb (used with object)

to collect (something) as toll.

to impose a tax or toll on (a person).

verb (used without object)

to collect toll; levy toll.

OTHER WORDS FOR toll

3 tariff, levy, impost, exaction.

See synonyms for toll on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of toll

First recorded before 1000; Middle English tol(le), Old English noun toll “tax, levy, custom, toll” (cognate with Dutch tol, German Zoll, Old Norse tollr ), assimilated variant of Middle English toln(e), Old English toln, from Late Latin tolōnēum, telonium, teloneum for Latin telōnēum “customs post,” from Greek telōneîon “tollhouse,” derivative of télos “tax”; the verb is derivative of the noun

Words nearby toll

tolidine, Tolima, to little purpose, Tolkien, Tolkien, J. R. R., toll, tollage, toll bar, tollbooth, toll bridge, toll call

Other definitions for toll (2 of 3)

toll²

[ tohl ]

/ toʊl /

verb (used with object) Also tole (for defs. 5, 6).

to cause (a large bell) to sound with single strokes slowly and regularly repeated, as for summoning a congregation to church, or especially for announcing a death.

to sound or strike (a knell, the hour, etc.) by such strokes: In the distance Big Ben tolled five.

to announce by this means; ring a knell for (a dying or dead person).

to summon or dismiss by tolling.

to lure or decoy (game) by arousing curiosity.

to allure; entice: He tolls us on with fine promises.

verb (used without object)

to sound with single strokes slowly and regularly repeated, as a bell.

noun

the act of tolling a bell.

one of the strokes made in tolling a bell.

the sound made.

Origin of toll

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English tollen, tol(le) “to entice, lure, pull,” hence probably “to make (a bell) ring by pulling a rope”; akin to Old English tyllan “to draw, attract,” found only in the compound verb fortyllan “to draw off, seduce”

Other definitions for toll (3 of 3)

toll³

[ tohl ]

/ toʊl /

verb (used with object) Law.

to suspend or interrupt, as a statute of limitations.

Origin of toll

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English tollen “to remove, legally annul,” from Anglo-French to(u)ller, from Latin tollere “to lift up, take away, remove”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use toll in a sentence

In Sweden, the government’s decision to adopt a light-touch strategy to tackle the pandemic pushed its death toll per capita many times higher than in the rest of the Nordic region.
Europe is at a turning point as COVID cases spike, and fragile governments feel the heat|Bernhard Warner|August 20, 2020|Fortune
In contrast, income growth has stalled or even turned negative among the hundreds of millions in the low- to middle-income population as the pandemic took a toll on the jobs market.
Haves and Have-Nots: Pandemic Recovery Explodes China’s Wealth Gap|Daniel Malloy|August 19, 2020|Ozy
Even as the number of confirmed covid-19 cases in Jammu and Kashmir crossed 13,000 and the death toll passed 200 in mid-July, the government refused to restore 4G internet speeds.
How India became the world’s leader in internet shutdowns|Katie McLean|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
In early June, it forced the health ministry to start publishing comprehensive data on covid-19 deaths again, after the ministry stopped doing so in what was widely seen as an attempt to cover up the rapidly rising death toll.
Brazil is sliding into techno-authoritarianism|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review

The incident took a severe toll on public confidence in vaccination.
Butterfly Effect: The Unscientific Vaccine|Charu Kasturi|August 13, 2020|Ozy
The death toll, which experts believe has been significantly undercut by secret burials, stands at 7,905.
The Race for the Ebola Vaccine|Abby Haglage|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In France, the death toll has been lower: One young man killed in the city of Nantes.
France’s Wave of Crazy-Terror Christmas Attacks|Christopher Dickey|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The latest reported death toll is 80 children and 46 adults, but that is expected to rise.
Taliban: We Slaughtered 100+ Kids Because Their Parents Helped America|Sami Yousafzai|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
While the look worked for some, the combination of heat and chemicals took a toll on the hair of others.
Goodbye To A Natural Hair Guru: Miss Jessie's Cofounder Titi Branch Dead At 45|Danielle Belton|December 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The amount of literal brainwork needed to do his job too such a toll on him that it sent him to an early grave,” Goode says.
From ‘The Good Wife’ to ‘The Imitation Game’: Matthew Goode Wages His Charm Offensive|Kevin Fallon|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On this the royal band of music would strike up its liveliest airs, and a great bell would toll its evening warning.
Our Little Korean Cousin|H. Lee M. Pike
Jack's keeper offered the right toll, but the toll-bar man would not take it.
The Nursery, July 1873, Vol. XIV. No. 1|Various
A country girl, riding by a turnpike-road without paying toll, the gate-keeper hailed her and demanded his fee.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
Sixty, nay fifty, years ago, there were six toll-houses and turnpike bars between London and Portsmouth.
The Portsmouth Road and Its Tributaries|Charles G. Harper
On leaving Conway we crossed the suspension bridge, paying a goodly toll for the privilege.
British Highways And Byways From A Motor Car|Thomas D. Murphy

British Dictionary definitions for toll (1 of 2)

toll¹

/ (təʊl) /

verb

to ring or cause to ring slowly and recurrently

(tr) to summon, warn, or announce by tolling

US and Canadian to decoy (game, esp ducks)

noun

the act or sound of tolling

Word Origin for toll

C15: perhaps related to Old English -tyllan, as in fortyllan to attract

British Dictionary definitions for toll (2 of 2)

toll²

/ (təʊl, tɒl) /

noun

an amount of money levied, esp for the use of certain roads, bridges, etc, to cover the cost of maintenance
(as modifier)toll road; toll bridge

loss or damage incurred through an accident, disaster, etcthe war took its toll of the inhabitants

Also called: tollage (formerly) the right to levy a toll

Also called: toll charge NZ a charge for a telephone call beyond a free-dialling area

Word Origin for toll

Old English toln; related to Old Frisian tolene, Old High German zol toll, from Late Latin telōnium customs house, from Greek telónion, ultimately from telos tax

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with toll

toll

see take its toll.

toll

OTHER WORDS FOR toll

Origin of toll

Words nearby toll

Other definitions for toll (2 of 3)

Origin of toll

Other definitions for toll (3 of 3)

Origin of toll

Words related to toll

How to use toll in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for toll (1 of 2)

Word Origin for toll

British Dictionary definitions for toll (2 of 2)

Word Origin for toll

Other Idioms and Phrases with toll