Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

take its toll

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.07 in modern English

Syllables: take it-s -toll
IPA

15

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To affect something, especially negatively; to damage or degrade; to cause harm or destruction.

Example Sentences

"Time had taken its toll on the old bridge, and it was no longer sound."
"Heavy smoking and drinking will take its toll on a person's health."
"The Thirty Years' War in Germany took its toll of bloodshed without bequeathing as a recompense any real political or moral blessing."
"A lot of attention has rightly been paid to the toll that fulfilling our orders takes upon workers in warehouses or drivers in delivery vans."
"England not only reached the World Cup semi-finals for the first time since Italia 90, they did the job under the pressure of the occasion and the requirement to back up the victory over Colombia on penalties in the last 16 - with all of the mental toll that will have taken."

Inflected Forms

takes its toll (present, singular) taking its toll (participle, present) took its toll (past) taken its toll (participle, past) take a toll (alternative) take their toll (alternative) take a heavy toll (alternative)

Synonyms

do a number on

Questions

What does take its toll mean?: To affect something, especially negatively; to damage or degrade; to cause harm or destruction.

How to pronounce take its toll

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