toll

[ tohl ]

/ toʊl /

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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

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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

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. 2022

How to use toll in a sentence

Even when the tension isn’t specific to work, it shows up in our workplaces—and, if not channeled constructively, takes a toll on relationships, productivity, morale, and mental health.
Watch Quartz’s workshop on leading teams through tension|Heather Landy|November 20, 2020|Quartz
He had been there twice before for the same reason—though it was his first time flying in as international news media covered the growing violence and death tolls.
Meet the unicorn founder that braved war zones and missed meetings to make his mark on the startup world|Lucinda Shen|November 20, 2020|Fortune
Disruptions to your daily life, such as canceling funerals or weddings or any number of social occasions, takes a toll.
The sad science of pandemic grief|Sy Mukherjee|November 19, 2020|Fortune
The nation’s death toll since the start of the pandemic reached 250,000 on Thursday, and on Wednesday alone, nearly 1,900 deaths were reported, marking the deadliest day since May.
CDC recommends against Thanksgiving travel amid surge of coronavirus cases|Brittany Shammas|November 19, 2020|Washington Post

Wednesday, as the virus surged across the country, the daily death toll had risen again to 1,894.
250,000 lives lost: How the pandemic compares to other deadly events in U.S. history|Gillian Brockell|November 19, 2020|Washington Post
Those are the figures that will tell us whether the bell really has tolled for peace.
Hope and Fear in the Holy Land|Brent E. Sasley|July 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
It tolled One when the firing began; and is now pointing towards Five, and still the firing slakes not.
A Wanderer in Paris|E. V. Lucas
A distant church clock tolled the hour of midnight as he gained the seashore.
Jack Harkaway's Boy Tinker Among The Turks|Bracebridge Hemyng
His death, which happened in his berth,At forty-odd befell: They went and told the sexton, andThe sexton tolled the bell.
The Book of Humorous Verse|Various
Then the big clock once again tolled the hour, and Ronald laughed with glee.
Sue, A Little Heroine|L. T. Meade
The bell of the cathedral tolled, and fearfully she counted its strokes.
The Secret Witness|George Gibbs

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

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