take a/its toll
idiom
: to have a serious, bad effect on someone or something : to cause harm or damage
If you keep working so hard, the stress will eventually take its toll.
—often + onToo much sunlight can take a (heavy) toll on your skin.
Her illness has taken a toll on her marriage.
Examples of take a/its toll in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Those short outings seemed to take a toll on the Mets’ bullpen, which posted a 2.87 ERA through May but a 4.81 ERA in the two months since.
—
Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2025
Using too much too often can add up and take a toll on your health.
—Brittany Poulson, Verywell Health, 21 July 2025
Actually, tennis balls can be a useful travel item to have on hand for longer traveling days when muscle tightness, tension, and blood circulation all might start to stockpile and take a toll on your body.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 18 July 2025
The impact of the global pandemic has been even more widely felt, and is unlikely to fade from anyone’s memory any time soon as COVID-19 continues to spread, develop new variants, and take a toll on people whose recovery from the virus can take months, or even years.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 13 June 2025
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Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2025
Using too much too often can add up and take a toll on your health.
—Brittany Poulson, Verywell Health, 21 July 2025
Actually, tennis balls can be a useful travel item to have on hand for longer traveling days when muscle tightness, tension, and blood circulation all might start to stockpile and take a toll on your body.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 18 July 2025
The impact of the global pandemic has been even more widely felt, and is unlikely to fade from anyone’s memory any time soon as COVID-19 continues to spread, develop new variants, and take a toll on people whose recovery from the virus can take months, or even years.
—Chantelle Lee, Time, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for take a/its toll
Cite this Entry
“Take a/its toll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/take%20a%2Fits%20toll. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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