# take its toll

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/take-its-toll
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

To affect something, especially negatively; to damage or degrade; to cause harm or destruction.

## Examples

- Working too many hours will eventually take its toll on your health.
- The constant stress of the long project began to take its toll on the team's motivation and energy levels.
- Years of neglect had clearly taken its toll on the historic building, leaving the once grand structure in a state of quiet decay.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.