tale
Americannoun
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tales
plural
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a narrative that relates the details of some real or imaginary event, incident, or case; story.
a tale about Lincoln's dog.
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a literary composition having the form of such a narrative.
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a falsehood; lie.
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a rumor or piece of gossip, often malicious or untrue.
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the full number or amount.
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Archaic. enumeration; count.
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Obsolete. talk; discourse.
noun
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a report, narrative, or story
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one of a group of short stories connected by an overall narrative framework
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a malicious or meddlesome rumour or piece of gossip
to bear tales against someone
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( in combination )
talebearer
taleteller
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a fictitious or false statement
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to tell fanciful lies
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to report malicious stories, trivial complaints, etc, esp to someone in authority
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to reveal something important
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to be self-evident
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archaic
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a number; amount
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computation or enumeration
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an obsolete word for talk
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of tale
before 900; Middle English; Old English talu series, list, narrative, story; cognate with Dutch taal speech, language, German Zahl number, Old Norse tala number, speech. See tell 1
Explanation
A tale is a story, especially one that's full of creative embellishments. You can read a tale from a book, or tell a bedtime tale to the kids you're babysitting. Tales can be true or fictional, but they generally consist of a narrative, with a beginning and an end, made more interesting and exciting with vivid details. Some tales are meant to teach specific lessons (like your family's history or your community's values), while others simply relay a funny story. Tale can also mean "lie," like when your mom asks, "You're not telling a tale, are you?"
Vocabulary lists containing tale
"Raymond's Run"
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"The Earth Under Sky Bear's Feet"
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Justice, Part 1
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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.
See Examples For:
It’s as if the world tacitly acknowledges that getting this tale truly right is a futile pursuit.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
That is the tale Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and administration officials have touted as the U.S. crossed borrowing milestones, with publicly held debt hitting 100% of gross domestic product and gross debt topping $40 trillion.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
"Hacks," the tale of a stand-up comedian trying to revive her career and the dysfunctional millennial assistant who helps her, had led the way for comedies with 24 nominations, compared to 19 for "Widow's Bay."
From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026
It is a tale of casual jobs, a determination to succeed and a nomadic coaching career across Europe - which now brings the 49-year-old back to England in the Champions League with the Azerbaijani club.
From BBC ● Sep. 7, 2026
They knew the tale, but they looked forward to the ending.
From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer
McNeil has made a career out of reliving the gritty tales of debauchery and explosive expression that gave rise to the Ramones and CBGB’s and shocking tales of New York in the 1970s.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Early in the previous century, a classics teacher writing under her first and middle names, Richmal Crompton, began inventing tales of the pesky 11-year-old.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
Britain's The Guardian newspaper said the movie "entertains us with creepy campfire tales" but the Hollywood Reporter called it a "dull existential drama" while The Wrap website described it as a "frustrating slog".
From Barron's ● Sep. 9, 2026
I have read and replied to many cautionary tales about people abusing their responsibilities.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
He’d learned to believe from his sister, Pili, and she’d learned from her favorite book of fairy tales, The Way to Rio Luna by Ella St. Clay.
From "The Way to Rio Luna" by Zoraida Cordova
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
