[Idiom] TAKE A TOLL. - Understand the Impact: What Does It Mean to Take a Toll?
Take a toll.
Cause damage or suffering.
When something "takes a toll," it causes damage, suffering, or loss, often in a gradual and insidious manner. Think of a toll road where you have to pay to proceed; similarly, certain events or stressors extract a emotional or physical 'price' as you navigate through them.
Example Sentences
Working late every night really takes a toll on your health.
It indicates that working late nightly negatively impacts your health.
Not sleeping enough can take a toll on your energy levels.
It means insufficient sleep adversely affects your energy levels.
All that stress at work is starting to take a toll on her mental health.
It suggests that work stress is having a detrimental effect on her mental well-being.