tale

American  

[tayl] / teɪl /

noun

• tales
  plural

1. a narrative that relates the details of some real or imaginary event, incident, or case; story.

   a tale about Lincoln's dog.

2. a literary composition having the form of such a narrative.

3. a falsehood; lie.

4. a rumor or piece of gossip, often malicious or untrue.

5. the full number or amount.

6. Archaic. enumeration; count.

7. Obsolete. talk; discourse.

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tale British  

/ teɪl /

noun

1. a report, narrative, or story

2. one of a group of short stories connected by an overall narrative framework

3. 1. a malicious or meddlesome rumour or piece of gossip

      to bear tales against someone

   2. ( in combination )

      talebearer

      taleteller

4. a fictitious or false statement

5. 1. to tell fanciful lies

   2. to report malicious stories, trivial complaints, etc, esp to someone in authority

6. to reveal something important

7. to be self-evident

8. archaic

   1. a number; amount

   2. computation or enumeration

9. an obsolete word for talk

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tale Idioms  

1. see old wives' tale; tall tale; tell tales; thereby hangs a tale.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tales
  plural

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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

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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?"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tale tales

Ironically, the inventive time-travel tale feels of a totally different era from its predecessor.

From Slate ● Nov. 6, 2026

The children of Hamelin’s Pied Piper tale had no part in the broken bargain, yet they paid its price.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2026

The 1992 Indo-Japanese animated film Ramayana: The Legend of Prince Rama brought the tale to life through richly detailed, hand-drawn animation.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2026

One of her stories — “Incog,” a classic Victorian tale of mistaken romantic identities — was turned into a popular Broadway musical, “Three Twins.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026

It’s a tale that might seem fascinating to a tourist, but it’s making me feel like a dove with broken wings.

From "Across So Many Seas" by Ruth Behar

Dracula comes from Central Europe by way of the Irish novelist Bram Stoker; the werewolf is a staple of French and German folk tales.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026

In this era, powerful, complex stories of the intrepid human spirit sit next to ephemeral tales of cheaply made, mildew-ridden leggings.

From Salon ● Oct. 28, 2026

The lessons may appear to be the same, but the individuals often tell disturbing tales that only the gods could see coming.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

"Trophies and tears for nation's everyday heroes" it writes, as "Stars humbled by tales of courage and sacrifice", including young fundraiser of the year Kirsty Waugh and Dr Eli Prior "who helped train crash victims".

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Long stories and epic tales used music to draw in the audience and to help the reciter’s memorization.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

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Related Words

• account
• anecdote
• fable
• fiction
• legend
• myth
• narrative
• novel
• short story
• yarn

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