tales
Americannoun
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(used with a plural verb) persons chosen to serve on the jury when the original panel is insufficiently large: originally selected from among those present in court.
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(used with a singular verb) the order or writ summoning such jurors.
noun
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(functioning as plural) a group of persons summoned from among those present in court or from bystanders to fill vacancies on a jury panel
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(functioning as singular) the writ summoning such jurors
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of tales
1300–50; Middle English < Medieval Latin tālēs ( dē circumstantibus ) such (of the bystanders)
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.
What sets their story apart from other revenge-laden tales of late is Harris’ remarkable knack for unvarnished realism.
From Salon • May 19, 2026
But Bowen, 35, has been managing it for 10 years, making sales, offering advice and hearing travelers’ tales, which almost always come with surprises.
From Los Angeles Times • May 12, 2026
The $12 billion fund is one of the largest publicly traded business development companies, and its credit stumbles have become one of the sector’s cautionary tales.
From Barron's • May 11, 2026
Wolfe doesn’t have to leave home to find tales of belt-tightening; she’s feeling the pinch herself.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 1, 2026
“I wouldn’t trust him for the day’s headlines, but the tales of his boyhood seafaring days are clear as a bell.”
From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood
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.
