toll

1 of 5

noun (1)

1
: a tax or fee paid for some liberty or privilege (as of passing over a highway or bridge)
2
: compensation for services rendered: such as
a
: a charge for transportation
b
: a charge for a long-distance telephone call
3
: a grievous or ruinous price
inflation has taken its toll
especially : cost in life or health
the death toll from the hurricane

toll

2 of 5

verb (1)

tolled; tolling; tolls

intransitive verb

: to take or levy toll

transitive verb

1
a
: to exact part of as a toll
b
: to take as toll
2
: to exact a toll from (someone)

toll

3 of 5

verb (2)

tolled; tolling; tolls

intransitive verb

: to sound with slow measured strokes
the bell tolls solemnly

transitive verb

1
: to sound (a bell) by pulling the rope
2
a
: to give signal or announcement of
the clock tolled each hour
b
: to announce by tolling
church bells tolled the death of the bishop
c
: to call to or from a place or occasion
bells tolled the congregation to church

toll

4 of 5

noun (2)

: the sound of a tolling bell

toll

5 of 5

verb (3)

variants or tole
tolled or toled; tolling or toling

transitive verb

1
2
a
: to entice (game) to approach
b
: to attract (fish) with scattered bait
c
: to lead or attract (domestic animals) to a desired point

Examples of toll in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The next day, in a statement to Alcala Bach, the NTTA admitted its mistake — that the tolls were associated with license plates on cars that belonged to someone else. Steve Coffman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Mar. 2024 While striking a celebratory note, this year’s festival nevertheless unfolds against the somber backdrop of world affairs, as the mounting humanitarian toll of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza continues to dominate headlines, while Russia’s war in Ukraine enters its third year. Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 7 Mar. 2024 The Bradley Cooper Award for Effort: Bradley Cooper Cooper was previously nominated for nine Academy Awards, before this trio for Maestro, and his lack of wins might be taking a toll. Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 And while the final toll of the fires has yet to be determined, one thing is clear – this is one of Texas' fiercest wildfire battles. Li Cohen, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2024 Drugmakers, wholesalers, pharmacies and other companies have agreed to settlements over the toll of opioids that are to pay state, local and Native American tribal governments more than $50 billion. Samantha Hendrickson, Quartz, 4 Mar. 2024 To estimate the possible toll of an outbreak, the team combined existing data on baseline health status, malnutrition, sanitation and vaccination rates with models of infectious disease spread. Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 In outlining the new guidance, CDC officials noted that while the toll of Covid infections remains higher than that of influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and other respiratory pathogens, the impact of Covid is drawing closer to those other viruses. Helen Branswell, STAT, 1 Mar. 2024 The salty air around the church, built in 1951, has proved corrosive, and decades of wear-and-tear have taken a toll. Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
At the scene of the rail crash in Tempi, central Greece, relatives of the victims gathered for a memorial service as churches across the country tolled their bells 57 times Wednesday morning to honor the dead. Derek Gatopoulos and Costas Kantouris, Quartz, 28 Feb. 2024 Leon is about to be butchered by pitchfork and chainsaw-wielding Spanish farmers, but then a tolling bell suddenly psychically summons them away. WIRED, 22 June 2023 Observers noted that church bells regularly toll for Christians. Dave Orrick, Anchorage Daily News, 14 Apr. 2023 The church bell tolled four times as the names of the girls were read. Kimberly Chandler The Associated Press, Arkansas Online, 16 Sep. 2023 New York City’s plan could toll drivers entering Manhattan below 60th street up to $23 and is set to begin as soon as spring 2024. Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 21 July 2023 Church bells tolled as the service began at 10 a.m. Afterward, Jarboe and other clerics filed out of the church, followed by a group of about a half-dozen men in dark suits, who slowly carried Wilkinson’s casket to a hearse. Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2023 But in May, Gov. Tina Kotek directed ODOT to delay tolling until 2026 so that the state could further study its impact on local communities. oregonlive, 15 Sep. 2023 The bell tolled for me, the young angler, and obediently my pals and I wrapped it up, the fishing was over. Darrell Kunitomi, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'toll.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English, from Vulgar Latin *tolonium, alteration of Late Latin telonium customhouse, from Greek tolōnion, from telōnēs collector of tolls, from telos tax, toll; perhaps akin to Greek tlēnai to bear

Verb (2)

Middle English, to pull, drag, toll (a bell), perhaps alteration of toilen to struggle — more at toil

Verb (3)

Middle English tollen, tolen; akin to Old English fortyllan to seduce

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb (3)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of toll was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near toll

Cite this Entry

“Toll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toll. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

toll

1 of 3 noun
1
: a tax paid for a privilege (as the use of a highway or bridge)
2
: a charge paid for a service
3
: the cost in life or health
the death toll from the hurricane

toll

2 of 3 verb
1
: to announce or call by the sounding of a bell
2
: to sound with slow strokes
the bell tolls solemnly

toll

3 of 3 noun
: the sound of a tolling bell
Etymology

Noun

Middle English toll "a tax or fee paid to be allowed to do something," from early French toll (same meaning), derived from Latin telonium "a house where duties on imports are paid and ships' cargoes are checked," derived from Greek telos "tax, toll"

Verb

Middle English tollen "to pull, drag, or toll (a bell)," perhaps from Middle English toilen "to struggle"

Legal Definition

toll

1 of 3 noun
: a charge for the use of a transportation route or facility
broadly : a charge for use
a water toll

toll

2 of 3 verb

transitive verb

1
: to take away (as a right)
2
a
: to remove the effect of
the court did not toll the statute of repose after the statutory period had expired
b
: suspend sense 2a
toll the running of the statute of limitations
compare run

intransitive verb

: to be suspended
statute of limitations tolls for a period of seventy-five days following the noticeParker v. Yen, 823 S.W.2d 359 (1991)

toll

3 of 3 noun
: a suspension of effect
the court extended the statute of limitations toll
Etymology

Noun

Old English, tax or fee paid for a liberty or privilege, ultimately from Late Latin telonium custom house, from Greek tolōnion, from telōnēs collector of tolls, from telos tax, toll

Verb

Anglo-French tollir toller to take away, make null, bar, ultimately from Latin tollere to lift up, take away

More from Merriam-Webster on toll

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