Take a Toll
phrase / idiomBase take a toll · Past took a toll · Past Participle taken a toll · Present Participle taking a toll · 3rd person takes a toll
Definition
1. (phrase) To cause gradual damage, suffering, or harm to someone or something — usually from stress, illness, hard work, or long-term pressure.
2. (phrase) To cause serious losses or heavy consequences — used for disasters, accidents, or difficult events affecting many people.
2. (phrase) To cause serious losses or heavy consequences — used for disasters, accidents, or difficult events affecting many people.
Context Alive
Your sister has been looking after your mother for almost a year now, ever since the stroke. She cooks, cleans, handles the medications, and drives her to every hospital appointment — all on her own. You can see in her face how much the whole situation is starting to take a toll on her. She looks tired all the time, she has lost weight, and she does not laugh the way she used to. You tell her that from now on, you will come every weekend to help.
Meanings
2 meanings 1 To Cause Gradual Damage or Suffering (Phrase) Very Common ▼
This meaning is about something slowly wearing a person down — their health, mood, body, or relationships. Imagine someone who has been working twelve-hour days for six months straight with no weekends off. At first they were fine, but now they have back pain, headaches, and they snap at everyone at home — the job is really taking a toll on them. This is describing damage that builds up over time rather than happening all at once. You might say 'The stress of the divorce is taking a toll on his health', or someone could say 'Years of smoking took a toll on her lungs.' Or think about a parent of a newborn baby who has not slept properly in four months — the exhaustion is clearly taking a toll on her, even though she tries to hide it. The word suggests that the damage is real, slow, and often invisible until it is already serious.
✏️ This phrase is almost always followed by on — "take a toll on your health / marriage / body / mind." It is one of the most useful phrases for talking about stress and long-term effects in an honest but gentle way. Adjectives like heavy, serious, real, terrible are often added: "it took a heavy toll on him."
2 To Cause Serious Losses or Heavy Consequences (Phrase) Common ▼
This meaning is about a single big event causing major damage — usually to a group of people, a community, or a region. Imagine a powerful storm that hits a coastal town overnight — houses are destroyed, boats are lost, and several people are injured. The next morning, the news reports that the storm took a heavy toll on the area. This is describing serious damage from something dramatic rather than gradual pressure. You might hear 'The earthquake took a terrible toll on the city', or someone could say 'The pandemic took a toll on small businesses everywhere.' Or think about a long war that causes thousands of deaths and leaves cities in ruins — it clearly took a toll on the whole country. The word suggests heavy cost, often measured in lives, money, or lasting damage.
✏️ You will see this meaning a lot in news, articles, and formal writing. Common adjectives are heavy, devastating, terrible, huge. The phrase the death toll (the number of people who died) comes from the same root but is a separate noun expression — good to know both.
Common Patterns
Basic Structures
take a toll on + noun → the standard pattern — states what or who is being affected
The long commute is taking a toll on his health.
take a heavy / serious toll on + noun → adds intensity to the damage being described
The war took a heavy toll on the local population.
start to take a toll → describes damage that is just beginning to show
The late nights are starting to take a toll on me.
Common Structures
take an emotional / physical / mental toll → specifies the type of damage
Caring for her mother took an emotional toll on her.
take its toll → a very common fixed form — the damage is already visible
Years of stress have taken their toll on his face.
without taking a toll → describes something that does not cause damage
She managed to raise three children without it taking a toll on her career.
Collocations
10 collocationstake a toll on your health
to gradually damage your physical wellbeing
take a toll on your marriage
to slowly hurt your relationship with your partner
take an emotional toll
to cause emotional damage or exhaustion
take a mental toll
to affect your mental health over time
take a physical toll
to wear down your body
take a heavy toll
to cause serious or significant damage
take its toll
a fixed form — the damage is already visible
take a toll on your body
to cause physical wear and tear
stress takes a toll
a very common pairing — stress causing long-term harm
the years take their toll
ageing gradually shows its effects
Example Sentences
10 examples
1
The long hours at work are starting to take a toll on his marriage.
His demanding work schedule is beginning to damage his relationship with his wife.
2
Years of sleepless nights have clearly taken their toll on her face.
Many years without proper sleep have obviously left visible marks on her face.
3
Caring for a sick parent can take a heavy emotional toll on the whole family.
Looking after a sick parent can cause serious emotional strain on everyone in the family.
4
The pandemic took a toll on small businesses across the country.
The pandemic caused significant damage to small businesses throughout the nation.
5
Constant travelling for work is beginning to take a toll on my health.
Always being on the road for my job is starting to damage my wellbeing.
6
The stress of running her own company is clearly taking a toll on her.
The pressure of managing her own business is obviously wearing her down.
7
Decades of hard physical labour took a toll on his back and knees.
Many years of tough physical work damaged his back and knees.
8
The cold winter has taken its toll on the elderly in our neighbourhood.
The harsh winter has seriously affected the older people living in our area.
9
Smoking had already taken a toll on his lungs by the time he quit.
Smoking had already damaged his lungs significantly by the time he gave it up.
10
The tragedy took a terrible toll on the small fishing village.
The disaster caused devastating damage to the small fishing village.
Phrasal Verbs & Idioms
1 item
Idioms & Expressionsthe years take their toll — ageing gradually shows its physical and mental effects
He still plays football every weekend, but the years are taking their toll.
Synonyms & Antonyms
6 items
Synonymswear someone down
more physical and emotional — slowly exhausting someone
damage
more direct and neutral — lacks the 'gradual' nuance
cause harm
more formal and general — used in writing and reports
Antonymsstrengthen
the opposite — to build up rather than wear down
leave unharmed
to cause no damage at all
benefit
to have a positive effect rather than a harmful one