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.
Origin of toll
1
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
SYNONYMS FOR toll
3 tariff, levy, impost, exaction.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR toll ON THESAURUS.COM
Words nearby toll
tolidine, Tolima, to little purpose, Tolkien, Tolkien, J. R. R., toll, tollage, toll bar, tollbooth, toll bridge, toll call
Definition 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
2
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”
Definition 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
3
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”
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.
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
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
The incident took a severe toll on public confidence in vaccination.
Butterfly Effect: The Unscientific Vaccine|Charu Kasturi|August 13, 2020|Ozy
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
Unemployment and the lack of opportunities for young men are taking their toll.
The Secret Life of an ISIS Warlord|Will Cathcart, Vazha Tavberidze, Nino Burchuladze|October 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And though Omran seems truly happy to see me, the last couple of years, and few weeks in particular, have taken their toll on him.
Beating Cancer & Dodging Israel's Bombs|Itay Hod|September 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Come on, stand up, brother, father, toll the tocsin [alarm bell]!
We paid a toll at the bridge by which we crossed the Arun, and that was the only toll we had on the way.
A Leisurely Tour in England|James John Hissey
Huber crossed himself, for the chapel bell began to toll down below in the fortress.
The Serf|Guy Thorne
It was this, that in Ireland the mails were not exempt from toll.
The History of the Post Office|Herbert Joyce
Disease and famine were taking their toll of the participants in the great adventure.
Colorado Jim|George Goodchild
The entire state was practically one huge sea, and every brook, creek and river exacted its toll of damage.
The True Story of Our National Calamity of Flood, Fire and Tornado|Logan Marshall
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 Canadianto 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 chargeNZa 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