toll
verb/təʊl/
/təʊl/
[intransitive, transitive]Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they toll | /təʊl/ /təʊl/ |
| he / she / it tolls | /təʊlz/ /təʊlz/ |
| past simple tolled | /təʊld/ /təʊld/ |
| past participle tolled | /təʊld/ /təʊld/ |
| -ing form tolling | /ˈtəʊlɪŋ/ /ˈtəʊlɪŋ/ |
- when a bell tolls or somebody tolls it, it is rung slowly many times, especially as a sign that somebody has died
- toll (for somebody) The Abbey bell tolled for those killed in the war.
- Ask not for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.
- toll something The bell tolled the hour.
- (figurative) The revolution tolled the death knell (= signalled the end) for the Russian monarchy.
Word Originverb late Middle English: probably a special use of dialect toll ‘drag, pull’.Want to learn more?
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toll