tattle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
tattles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tattled,
past participle, past
-
tattling
present participle
-
to let out secrets.
-
to chatter, prate, or gossip.
verb (used with object)
-
tattles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
tattled,
past participle, past
-
tattling
present participle
noun
-
tattles
plural
-
the act of tattling.
-
idle talk; chatter; gossip.
verb
-
(intr) to gossip about another's personal matters or secrets
-
(tr) to reveal by gossiping
to tattle a person's secrets
-
(intr) to talk idly; chat
noun
-
the act or an instance of tattling
-
a scandalmonger or gossip
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
tattlesimple
-
tattlessimple
-
have tattledperfect
-
has tattledperfect
-
am tattlingprogressive
-
are tattlingprogressive
-
is tattlingprogressive
-
have been tattlingperfect progressive
-
has been tattlingperfect progressive
Past
-
tattledsimple
-
had tattledperfect
-
was tattlingprogressive
-
were tattlingprogressive
-
had been tattlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tattle
1475–85; < Dutch tatelen; cognate with Middle Low German tatelen
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:
Sarwar, when asked about the prospect of a Labour leadership challenge, told reporters: "I think we should ignore the internal political tittle tattle and get on with delivering for the country."
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2025
We’re hesitant to tattle to our supervisor, but since we’re equals, we’re also not comfortable confronting her.
From New York Times ● Oct. 29, 2022
It has morphed into a broader movement and mind-set encouraging people to tattle on one another to the courts or the state — with grave consequences.
From Washington Post ● Jun. 6, 2022
“If Walls Could Talk” they might tattle on the home healthcare worker a woman hires to look after her widowed mother in this new TV movie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2022
“Or what? No teacher to tattle to this summer.”
From "The Parker Inheritance" by Varian Johnson
Crawford busts up the little gathering and tattles to Davis: “Your girl was corrupting my twins.”
From New York Times ● Mar. 19, 2017
The Place de la Concorde now gleams a pale ochre; the massive Corinthian columns of the Madeleine glow a soft pink; the Louvre no longer tattles of neglect.
From Time Magazine Archive
Gregers Werle tattles to Hialmar Ekdal, who is much too little a fool to disbelieve him.
From Time Magazine Archive
Already a gossip, Tripp was now doubtless more attuned than ever to tattles she could tell.
From Time Magazine Archive
“Ruth sent six hundred texts last month,” Elisha tattles.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
This wasn’t the first time Waymo has tattled on alleged troublemakers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
Since then, said colleague has gone ghost on a project with me, and I have reason to believe Amy might have tattled.
From Slate ● Oct. 13, 2023
A disgruntled Congressional Country Club member tattled on the course for removing too many trees.
From Golf Digest ● Oct. 16, 2018
I believe I tattled as much on me as anybody else.
From Salon ● Jun. 3, 2013
Had one of the other girls tattled so soon?
From "Lyddie" by Katherine Paterson
Michael Freedman, a California defense lawyer, said he has noticed an uptick in incidents of jurors tattling on one another to judges rather than working out their differences in jury rooms.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
Critics saw the tattling as a shift from mutual aid toward control and branding.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 22, 2026
Now, he said, “Bark has taken that piece out of it. The other student doesn’t have to feel like they’re betraying or tattling or anything like that.”
From The Guardian ● Oct. 22, 2019
Priests, seminarians and former seminarians described in interviews a climate of self-censure, with men often tattling on one another and gossiping rather than speaking openly.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 3, 2019
Our family took a dim view of snitching and tattling.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
