tale

American  

[teyl] / 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.

---

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

---

tale Idioms  

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

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• tales
  plural

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?"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tale tales

This three-part documentary, directed by Matthew Galkin, is a tale of obsession and certainty, says Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Joe Sexton.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

Cramer has earned money from his secret-space-program tale, selling lessons on “how to make brains smarter, faster, more effective.”

From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026

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

Then he starts to tell me the tale.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

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

I have read and replied to many cautionary tales about people abusing their responsibilities.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026

Rescuers found two more people alive on Saturday, joining two saved the day before in what have been described as miraculous tales of survival.

From Barron's ● Sep. 6, 2026

Ralph Fulton, the founder of Leamington Spa-based Playground Games, told me the 2027 reboot of the role-playing classic Fable had "two tonal pillars" - "Britishness" and "fairy tales".

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

He listened with shining eyes to tales of wonders he had himself seen—once, long ago—and would not see again.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Related Words

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