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definitions

tattletale

[tat-l-teyl]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tattletale ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a talebearer or informer, especially among children.

adjective

telltale; revealing: a tattletale smear of lipstick on his collar.

Origin of tattletale

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; tattle + tale
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for tattletale

fink, stoolie, gossip, troublemaker, talebearer, telltale, tattler, rumormonger, informer, quidnunc, blabbermouth, snitch, tabby, rat, taleteller, windbag, squealer, busybody, blabber, scandalmonger

Examples from the Web for tattletale

Historical Examples of tattletale

  • He wanted a dog to help him hunt, but he did not want a tattletale.

  • That First Lieutenant of ours either has eyes in the back of his head or else the Sergeant is a tattletale.

    Conscript 2989

    Irving Crump

  • Course, I didn't need to worry, because Stinky told them all right, just like a tattletale.

British Dictionary definitions for tattletale

tattletale

noun mainly US and Canadian

a scandalmonger or gossip
another word for telltale (def. 1)
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for tattletale
n.

formed in English 1888 from tattle + tale. Probably patterned on telltale (1540s). A 16c. word for "tattle-tale" was pickthank.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper