Words / T / General

take its toll

phrase

B1CEFR level
15/100Rarity: common
InformalRegister

To have a serious, gradual negative effect on someone or something.

The long commute began to take its toll on his health and family life.

Similar: wear down, damage

Topic: Cambridge C1 Advanced in General English

Rarity runs from 0 (a word everyone knows) to 100 (almost never seen outside specialist or literary writing). Level is the word's real difficulty on the CEFR scale, from A1 to C2.

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More general words: Cambridge C1 Advanced