Meanings
toll1
plural tolls
- A fee paid for some liberty or privilege, particularly for the privilege of passing over a bridge or on a highway, or for that of vending goods in a fair, market, etc.
Meanwhile, the tolls dispute had gone to the courts, and the E.L.R. was completely successful when, in 1856, the House of Lords awarded it the sum of £30,000 against the L.Y.R. for tolls overcharged.
1957 October 28, M. D. Greville and G. O. Holt, “Railway Development in Manchester—2”, in Railway Magazine, page 726 - Loss or damage incurred through a disaster.
The war has taken its toll on the people.
- A fee paid by the owner of materials or other goods for processing such goods, as under a tolling agreement.
toll ore refining; toll manufacturing
- broadlybusinessA fee for using any kind of material processing service.
We can handle on a toll basis your needs for spray drying, repackaging, crushing and grinding, and dry blending.
present singular third person tolls · participle present tolling · participle past tolled · past tolled
- transitiveTo impose a fee for the use of.
Once more it is proposed to toll the East River bridges.
- ambitransitiveTo levy a toll on (someone or something).
No Italian priest Shall tithe or toll in our dominions.
c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene i] - transitiveTo take as a toll.
- To pay a toll or tallage.
I will buy me a sonne in Law in a faire, and toule for this. Ile none of him.
c. 1604–1605 (date written), William Shakespeare, “All’s Well, that Ends Well”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene iii]
toll2
plural tolls
- The act or sound of ringing a bell, especially slowly, as with a church or cemetery bell.
present singular third person tolls · participle present tolling · participle past tolled · past tolled
- ergativeTo ring (a bell) slowly and repeatedly.
Ask not for whom the bell tolls.
2 more examples
Martin tolled the great bell every day.
From the belfries far and near the funereal deathbell tolled unceasingly while all around the gloomy precincts rolled the ominous warning of a hundred muffled drums punctuated by the hollow booming of pieces of ordnance.
1922 February 2, James Joyce, “[[Episode 12: The Cyclops]]”, in Ulysses, Paris: Shakespeare and Company […], →OCLC - transitiveTo summon by ringing a bell.
The ringer tolled the workers back from the fields for vespers.
1 more example
When hollow murmurs of their evening bells Dismiss the sleepy swains, and toll them to their cells.
1697, Virgil, “The Fourth Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC - transitiveTo announce by ringing a bell.
The bells tolled the King’s death.
1 more example
Slow tolls the village-clock the drowſy hour; The partridge burſts away on whirring wings; Deep mourns the turtle in ſequeſter'd bower, And ſhrill lark carols clear from her aereal tour.
1771, James Beattie, The Minstrel; or, The Progress of Genius. A Poem. Book the First, London: […] E[dward] & C[harles] Dilly, […]; Edinburgh: A[lexander] Kincaid and W[illiam] Creech; and J[ohn] Bell, […], →OCLC, stanza XLI, page 21 - figurativelyTo make a sound as if made by a bell.
The chaplain's first mention of the name Yossarian! had tolled deep in his memory like a portentous gong.
1961 November 10, Joseph Heller, “Chief White Halfoat”, in Catch-22 […], New York, N.Y.: Simon and Schuster, →OCLC, page 213
toll3
present singular third person tolls · participle present tolling · participle past tolled · past tolled · alternative tole · alternative toal
- transitiveTo tear in pieces.
toll4
present singular third person tolls · participle present tolling · participle past tolled · past tolled
- obsoletelawTo take away; to vacate; to annul.
- lawTo suspend.
The statute of limitations defense was tolled as a result of the defendant’s wrongful conduct.
toll5
- participlepastAfrican-American Vernacularsimple past and past participle of tell
I done toll you for the last time.
Toll6
Synonyms & antonyms
More synonyms by meaning
nounvalue measured by what must be given or done or undergone to obtain something
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
toll · noun, verb
- Ancient Greekτελώνιον“toll-house”
- Latintelōneum
- Medieval Latintolōneum
- Old Englishtoll
- Proto-Indo-European*del-“calculation, fraud”
- Proto-Germanic*tullaz
- Proto-West Germanic*toll
- Old Englishtoll m or n
- Middle Englishtoll
- Englishtoll
From Middle English toll, tol, tolle, from Old English toll m or n and toln f (“toll, duty, custom”), from Proto-West Germanic *toll, *tolnu, from Proto-Germanic *tullaz, *tullō (“that which is counted or told, reckoning”), from Proto-Indo-European *del- (“calculation, fraud”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tol (“toll”), Dutch tol (“toll”), German Zoll (“toll, duty, customs”), Danish told (“toll, duty, tariff”), Swedish tull (“toll, customs”), Icelandic tollur (“toll, customs”). More at tell, tale. Alternate etymology derives Old English toll from Medieval Latin tolōneum, tolōnium, alteration (due to the Germanic forms above) of Latin telōneum, from Ancient Greek τελώνιον (telṓnion, “toll-house”), from τέλος (télos, “tax”).
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →toll · noun, verb
Probably the same as Etymology 3. Possibly related to or influenced by toil
Full word history & related roots →toll · verb
- Old English*tyllan
- Middle Englishtolen
- Englishtoll
From Middle English tolen, tollen, variation of tullen, tillen (“to draw, allure, entice”), from Old English *tyllan, *tillan (“to pull, draw, attract”) (found in compounds fortyllan (“to seduce, lead astray, draw away from the mark, deceive”) and betyllan, betillan (“to lure, decoy”)), related to Old Frisian tilla (“to lift, raise”), Dutch tillen (“to lift, raise, weigh, buy”), Low German tillen (“to lift, remove”), Swedish dialectal tille (“to take up, appropriate”).
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →toll · verb
- Latintollō“to lift up”
- Englishtoll
From Latin tollō (“to lift up”).
More words from Latin
Full word history & related roots →Toll · proper noun
* As an English surname, variant of Towle, Tole. * As a German surname, from the adjective toll, meaning both "wonderful" and "crazy, mad." Also shortened from Bartholomäus. * As a Dutch surname, variant of Tol, sometimes shortened from Van Toll.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans tol
- tolfee for using roads and bridges
Ancient Greek τέλεσμα
- τέλεσμα (télesma)fee for using roads and bridges
Arabic خَسَائِر, رَسْم
- خَسَائِر (ḵasāʔir)loss or damage
- رَسْم (rasm)fee for using roads and bridges
Basque bidesari, zubisari
- bidesarifee for using roads and bridges
- zubisarifee for using roads and bridges
Bulgarian же́ртви, за́губи
- же́ртви (žértvi)loss or damage
- за́губи (zágubi)loss or damage
- пъ́тна та́кса (pắtna táksa)fee for using roads and bridges
- взимам такса (vzimam taksa)to impose a fee
- налагам мито (nalagam mito)to levy a toll
- взимам жертви (vzimam žertvi)to take as a toll
- камбанен звън (kambanen zvăn)act or sound of tolling
- бия (bija)to make the noise of a bell
- примамвам (primamvam)to lure with bait
Catalan peatge, portatge
- peatgefee for using roads and bridges
- portatgefee for using roads and bridges
- pontatgefee for using roads and bridges
Chinese Mandarin 損失 /损失, 傷亡 /伤亡
- 損失 /损失 (sǔnshī)loss or damage
- 傷亡 /伤亡 (shāngwáng)loss or damage
- 通行費 /通行费 (tōngxíng fèi)fee for using roads and bridges
- 過路費 /过路费 (guòlù fèi)fee for using roads and bridges
- 過橋費 /过桥费 (guòqiáo fèi)fee for using roads and bridges
- 敲 (qiāo)to make the noise of a bell
- 鳴 /鸣 (míng)to make the noise of a bell
Czech mýtné, mýto
- mýtnéfee for using roads and bridges
- mýtofee for using roads and bridges
- zvonitto make the noise of a bell
Danish bompenge
- bompengefee for using roads and bridges
Dutch tol, tol
- tolloss or damage
- tolfee for using roads and bridges
- luidento make the noise of a bell
Finnish vero, maksu
- veroloss or damage
- maksufee for using roads and bridges
- tullifee for using roads and bridges
- yksikköhintabusiness
- tehdä maksulliseksito impose a fee
- määrätä maksuto levy a toll
- rahastaato take as a toll
- soittaminenact or sound of tolling
- soittoact or sound of tolling
- soittaato ring a bell slowly and repeatedly
- soittaato summon by ringing a bell
- soittaato announce by tolling
- soittaato make the noise of a bell
- soidato make the noise of a bell
- narratato lure with bait
- siirtäälegal:to suspend
French perte, péage
- perteloss or damage
- péagefee for using roads and bridges
- domagebusiness
- taxerto impose a fee
- sonnerieact or sound of tolling
- sonner le glasto ring a bell slowly and repeatedly
- sonnerto make the noise of a bell
German Verluste, Abgabe
- Verlusteloss or damage
- Abgabefee for using roads and bridges
- Mautfee for using roads and bridges
- läutento make the noise of a bell
Greek διόδια
- διόδια (diódia)fee for using roads and bridges
Hebrew אַגְרָה, אַגְרָה
- אַגְרָה (agrá)fee for using roads and bridges
- אַגְרָה (agrá)business
Hindi क्षतिपूर्ति, पथकर
- क्षतिपूर्ति (kṣatipūrti)loss or damage
- पथकर (pathkar)fee for using roads and bridges
Hungarian áldozat, útdíj
- áldozatloss or damage
- útdíjfee for using roads and bridges
- vámfee for using roads and bridges
- díjat szedto impose a fee
- díjat számít felto impose a fee
- vámolto levy a toll
- megvámolto levy a toll
- harangszóact or sound of tolling
- harangzúgásact or sound of tolling
- kongásact or sound of tolling
- kongatásact or sound of tolling
- kongatto ring a bell slowly and repeatedly
- megkongatto ring a bell slowly and repeatedly
- kongto make the noise of a bell
- szólto make the noise of a bell
- zúgto make the noise of a bell
Indonesian tol
- tolfee for using roads and bridges
Italian pedaggio, dazio
- pedaggiofee for using roads and bridges
- daziofee for using roads and bridges
- suonareto make the noise of a bell
Japanese 損失, 通行料金
- 損失 (sonjitsu)loss or damage
- 通行料金 (tsūkō ryōkin)fee for using roads and bridges
- 通行料 (tsūkōryō)fee for using roads and bridges
- 有料 (yūryō)fee for using roads and bridges
Korean 손실, 통행료
- 손실 (sonsil)loss or damage
- 통행료 (tonghaengnyo)fee for using roads and bridges
Latin portōrium
- portōriumfee for using roads and bridges
Māori pere, pere
- pereto ring a bell slowly and repeatedly
- pereto summon by ringing a bell
- pereto make the noise of a bell
Norwegian Bokmål bompenger
- bompengerfee for using roads and bridges
Polish myto, opłata drogowa
- mytofee for using roads and bridges
- opłata drogowafee for using roads and bridges
Portuguese perda, pedágio
- perdaloss or damage
- pedágiofee for using roads and bridges
- portagemfee for using roads and bridges
- passagemfee for using roads and bridges
- anunciarto make the noise of a bell
- badalarto make the noise of a bell
Romanian peaj
- peajfee for using roads and bridges
Russian поте́ри, же́ртвы
- поте́ри (potéri)loss or damage
- же́ртвы (žértvy)loss or damage
- пла́та (pláta)fee for using roads and bridges
- сбор (sbor)fee for using roads and bridges
- по́шлина (póšlina)fee for using roads and bridges
- звон (zvon)act or sound of tolling
- бла́говест (blágovest)act or sound of tolling
- звони́ть (zvonítʹ)to summon by ringing a bell
- позвони́ть (pozvonítʹ)to summon by ringing a bell
- бла́говестить (blágovestitʹ)to announce by tolling
- благовести́ть (blagovestítʹ)to announce by tolling
- звони́ть (zvonítʹ)to make the noise of a bell
- позвони́ть (pozvonítʹ)to make the noise of a bell
Slovak mýtne, mýto
- mýtnefee for using roads and bridges
- mýtofee for using roads and bridges
Spanish peaje, portazgo
- peajefee for using roads and bridges
- portazgofee for using roads and bridges
- pontazgofee for using roads and bridges
- pontajefee for using roads and bridges
- montazgofee for using roads and bridges
- tocarto make the noise of a bell
Swedish vägavgift, vägtull
- vägavgiftfee for using roads and bridges
- vägtullfee for using roads and bridges
- broavgiftfee for using roads and bridges
- kimningact or sound of tolling
- kimmato ring a bell slowly and repeatedly
- klämtato make the noise of a bell
Ukrainian втра́ти, же́ртви
- втра́ти (vtráty)loss or damage
- же́ртви (žértvy)loss or damage
- доро́жній збір (doróžnij zbir)fee for using roads and bridges
- збір (zbir)fee for using roads and bridges
- опла́та (opláta)fee for using roads and bridges
- ми́то (mýto)fee for using roads and bridges
Vietnamese (lệ) phí cầu đường
- (lệ) phí cầu đườngfee for using roads and bridges
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with toll
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
toll. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toll
“toll.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toll. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “toll,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/toll.
Source: toll on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.