toll

toll — noun

1. Money you must pay for permission to drive on a particular road, bridge, tunnel,

1.nounB1
Definition

Money you must pay for permission to drive on a particular road, bridge, tunnel, or highway.

Example

Tariro had to stop at the booth and pay the bridge toll before she could drive across.

collocation: pay a toll / bridge toll

The toll for this highway rises during the morning rush hour every weekday.

collocation: toll for [road] rises

Common collocations
  • pay a toll
  • bridge toll
  • highway toll
  • tunnel toll
  • toll booth
  • toll gate
  • toll road
  • toll plaza
Synonyms
  • fee

    more general; a fee can be for any service, not just road use

  • charge

    broader in meaning; a charge applies to many types of payment

  • levy

    more formal; a levy is often an official tax rather than a usage payment

Usage Note

Commonly modified by the name of the road or structure (bridge toll, highway toll, tunnel toll). The amount is usually fixed per vehicle type.

Common Mistakes

I paid the toll for the parking lot.
I paid the parking fee for the lot.
A toll is specifically for using a road, bridge, or tunnel, not for parking.

2. The amount a telephone company charges for a call to a place that is far away, e

2.nounB2
Definition

The amount a telephone company charges for a call to a place that is far away, especially a different city or country.

Example

Lucía checked the rate before making a long-distance call so she would not pay a high toll.

collocation: pay a [high/low] toll for a call

International phone tolls have dropped sharply ever since internet calling became widely available.

Common collocations
  • long-distance toll
  • phone toll
  • toll call
  • toll rate
  • pay a toll
Synonyms
  • charge

    a general term for any cost; less specific to distance

  • rate

    often refers to the price per minute rather than the total cost

  • fee

    a fixed amount charged for a service

Usage Note

This sense is becoming less common as flat-rate and internet-based calling replace per-minute long-distance billing. Still found in discussions of landline phone plans.

Common Mistakes

The mobile data toll is very high.
The mobile data charge is very high.
'Toll' for phone calls refers specifically to voice call charges, not data or text messaging.

3. The total amount of harm, suffering, or loss that builds up over time as a resul

3.nounB2
Definition

The total amount of harm, suffering, or loss that builds up over time as a result of something difficult or unpleasant.

Example

Years of working twelve-hour days had taken a heavy toll on Takeshi's health and family life.

idiom: take a heavy toll on [someone/something]

The flood took a terrible toll on the village, destroying dozens of homes and crops.

Common collocations
  • take a toll on
  • take its toll
  • heavy toll
  • emotional toll
  • physical toll
  • death toll
Synonyms
  • cost

    more neutral; 'cost' can refer to any price, not just harm

  • damage

    focuses on physical or material harm; less about emotional suffering

  • casualty count

    specifically the number of people killed or injured in a disaster or war

Grammar Patterns

take + toll + on + noun phrase

Usage Note

Most commonly found in the fixed expressions 'take a toll on', 'take its toll', and 'heavy toll'. The subject is typically a stressful situation, disaster, or prolonged difficulty rather than a person.

Common Mistakes

I took a toll on my homework.
The long hours of study took a toll on my energy.
The subject must be something that causes harm, not a person doing an action.

4. The slow, regular sound produced by a large bell, especially when rung to announ

4.nounC1
Definition

The slow, regular sound produced by a large bell, especially when rung to announce a death, a funeral, or an important event.

Example

The low toll of the church bell echoed through the quiet street at midday.

Eliska counted twelve slow tolls from the tower before the bell fell completely silent.

pattern: count + number + tolls

Common collocations
  • bell toll
  • slow toll
  • toll of the bell
  • count the tolls
Synonyms
  • ring

    a more general term for any bell sound, not necessarily slow

  • peal

    a loud burst of ringing, often with multiple bells and a musical pattern

  • chime

    a bell sound that follows a tune or sequence of notes

Usage Note

Often used in literary or ceremonial contexts. The toll is specifically slow and measured — distinct from a 'ring' (which can be faster and more musical) or a 'chime' (which follows a melody).

Common Mistakes

The doorbell made a toll.
The church bell made a slow toll.
This sense applies only to large bells, not to doorbells, alarms, or small bells.
Idioms

take a toll (on)

idiom

To cause harm, damage, or suffering to someone or something over a period of time, gradually wearing them down.

The constant noise from the construction site began to take a toll on the elderly residents living next door.

Years of poor eating habits had taken a serious toll on Christopher's overall health by the time he turned fifty.

death toll

idiom

The number of people who have died as a result of a particular event such as a war, accident, or natural disaster.

The death toll from the earthquake rose past two hundred as rescue teams reached more remote villages.

toll — verb

Word family

  • tollbooth
    nounB2
  • tollgate
    nounC1
  • toll-free
    adjectiveB2
  • toll road
    nounB1
  • tollway
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/3

All five words describe negative consequences, but they differ in scope and connotation. 'Toll' (noun sense 3) emphasises gradual, cumulative harm — the kind that builds up over time, as in 'the toll of years of stress'. 'Damage' focuses on physical or material harm and is less suited to emotional or abstract suffering. 'Cost' is the most neutral and general; it can refer to money, effort, or sacrifice without implying severity ('the cost of a decision'). 'Casualty count' is strictly numerical and refers to people killed or injured in wars or disasters — it has no figurative use. 'Price' is similar to 'cost' but often carries a sense that something valuable was traded away ('the price of fame'). Choose 'toll' for slow, accumulating harm; 'damage' for visible destruction; 'cost' for trade-offs; 'casualty count' for statistics; and 'price' when the sacrifice feels deliberate.

toll ↗damage ↗cost ↗casualty countprice ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • take a toll
  • take its toll
  • exact a toll
  • pay a toll
  • collect a toll
  • death toll
  • toll road
  • toll booth
  • toll free

Prepositions

  • toll on
  • toll for
  • toll of

Etymology

GreekLatinOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'toll' has two separate historical origins that merged into modern English. The 'payment' meaning comes from Old English 'toll' (tax, tribute), which goes back through Latin 'telōneum' (customs house) to Greek 'telos' (tax, duty). The 'bell' meaning comes from a different root: Middle English 'tollen' (to pull or attract), which was extended to pulling a bell rope. Over time, the two words — spelled the same way and both connected to the idea of something being drawn or collected — became a single word with two distinct sense groups.