toll
toll Lexical Profile
toll Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A fee or charge levied for the use of a road, bridge, or other public infrastructure.
"We had to pay a toll to cross the bridge into the city."
The extent of loss, damage, suffering, or casualties resulting from a disaster, conflict, or prolonged action.
"The devastating earthquake took a heavy toll on the coastal communities."
The slow, resonant, and repeated sounding of a large bell, often signifying a death or funeral.
"The mournful toll of the church bell echoed through the valley."
• verb
To ring a large bell with slow, measured, and repeated strokes, typically to announce a death or funeral.
"The cathedral bells began to toll as the procession entered the square."
To announce or mark an event, especially a death or the time, by the slow ringing of a bell.
"The grandfather clock tolled midnight, signaling the start of the new year."
To suspend or interrupt the running of a time limit or statute of limitations (primarily in legal contexts).
"The judge ruled that the defendant's absence from the state tolled the statute of limitations."
Word Nuance & Usage
In everyday usage, 'toll' frequently appears in the metaphorical phrase 'take a toll,' meaning to cause gradual damage or exhaustion. In legal contexts, 'tolling' a statute counterintuitively means to pause or suspend the time limit, rather than to enforce it.
• Rhymes for toll
Word Origin & Etymology
The noun meaning 'tax or fee' derives from Old English 'toll', tracing back through Late Latin to the Greek 'telos' (tax). The verb sense of ringing a bell comes from Middle English 'tollen' (to pull or draw), originally referring to the physical act of pulling a bell rope.