Synonyms

retell

American

[ree-tel] / riˈtɛl /

verb (used with object)

retold, retelling

to tell (a story, tale, etc.) over again or in a new way.

It’s Sleeping Beauty retold with a different twist.

retell British

/ riːˈtɛl /

verb

to relate (a story, etc) again or differently

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of retell

re- + tell ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But much like Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet,” she’s not trying to retell this famous tale; she’s reimagining it as the outsized, grand spectacle it has become in both public consciousness and personal affection.

From Salon • Feb. 14, 2026

Now “Five Bullets,” by Elliot Williams, and “Fear and Fury,” by Heather Ann Thompson, retell the story.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

When Kayleigh Griffiths lost her baby daughter, Pippa, in 2016 through maternity failings in Shropshire, she had no idea how many times she would have to retell her traumatic story at future medical appointments.

From BBC • Nov. 28, 2025

I really want to tell, retell, those stories.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 21, 2025

The part we would remember, would tell and retell so many times it became family folklore, was that Luke was unable to get out of his gasoline-soaked jeans.

From "Educated" by Tara Westover

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023