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
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tattles
plural
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the act of tattling.
-
idle talk; chatter; gossip.
verb
-
(intr) to gossip about another's personal matters or secrets
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(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
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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:
He also accused BBC News of "uncorroborated tittle tattle" in its reporting.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2025
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
And if you have to dig out the recipes again in June, well, I'm not about to tattle on you.
From Salon ● Dec. 20, 2021
“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
Already a gossip, Tripp was now doubtless more attuned than ever to tattles she could tell.
From Time Magazine Archive
One young woman whom he tattles on has been wronged by Sam Gobel himself.
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
A disgruntled Congressional Country Club member tattled on the course for removing too many trees.
From Golf Digest ● Oct. 16, 2018
Whoever tattled about someone’s private health condition should be ashamed.
From Slate ● Jan. 26, 2015
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
In the end, the BSC vanquishes the BSA by, essentially, tattling on them to the town’s parents.
From Slate ● Jul. 3, 2020
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
The Angels’ front office is desperate for legitimacy and relevance when they resort to tattling on Bryce Harper for his comments regarding Mike Trout.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2019
And anyhow, I thought, tattling to his mom would probably backfire.
From "Maybe He Just Likes You" by Barbara Dee
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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.
