tell
verb (used with object)
to give an account or narrative of; narrate; relate (a story, tale, etc.).
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tell
1 American
[tel]
/ tɛl /
verb (used with object)
-
tells,
present (3rd person singular)
-
told,
past participle, past
-
telling
present participle
-
to give an account or narrative of; narrate; relate (a story, tale, etc.).
to tell the story of Lincoln's childhood.
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to make known by speech or writing (a fact, news, information, etc.); communicate.
- Synonyms:
- impart
-
to announce or proclaim.
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to utter (the truth, a lie, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- speak
-
to express in words (thoughts, feelings, etc.).
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to reveal or divulge (something secret or private).
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to say plainly or positively.
I cannot tell just what was done.
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to discern or recognize (a distant person or thing) so as to be able to identify or describe.
Can you tell who that is over there?
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to distinguish; discriminate; ascertain.
You could hardly tell the difference between them.
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to inform (a person) of something.
He told me his name.
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to assure emphatically.
I won't, I tell you!
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to bid, order, or command.
Tell him to stop.
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to mention one after another, as in enumerating; count or set one by one or in exact amount.
to tell the cattle in a herd;
All told there were 17 if we are correct.
verb (used without object)
-
tells,
present (3rd person singular)
-
told,
past participle, past
-
telling
present participle
-
to give an account or report.
Tell me about your trip.
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to give evidence or be an indication.
The ruined temples told of an ancient culture, long since passed from existence.
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to disclose something secret or private; inform; tattle.
She knows who did it, but she won't tell.
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to say positively; determine; predict.
Who can tell?
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to have force or effect; operate effectively.
a contest in which every stroke tells.
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to produce a marked or severe effect.
The strain was telling on his health.
-
British Dialect. to talk or chat.
verb phrase
-
tell on to tattle on (someone).
-
tell off
-
to separate from the whole and assign to a particular duty.
-
Informal. to rebuke severely; scold.
It was about time that someone told him off.
-
idioms
tell
2
American
[tel]
/ tɛl /
noun
Tell
3
American
[tel]
/ tɛl /
noun
tell
1
British
/ tɛl /
verb
-
(when tr, may take a clause as object) to let know or notify
he told me that he would go
-
(tr) to order or instruct (someone to do something)
I told her to send the letter airmail
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to give an account or narration (of something)
she told me her troubles
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(tr) to communicate by words; utter
to tell the truth
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(tr) to make known; disclose
to tell fortunes
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to serve as an indication
her blush told of her embarrassment
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(tr; used with can, etc; may take a clause as object) to comprehend, discover, or discern
I can tell what is wrong
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(tr; used with can, etc) to distinguish or discriminate
he couldn't tell chalk from cheese
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(intr) to have or produce an impact, effect, or strain
every step told on his bruised feet
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informal to reveal secrets or gossip (about)
don't tell!
she told on him
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(tr) to assure
I tell you, I've had enough!
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(tr) to count (votes)
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dialect (intr) to talk or chatter
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informal to tell the truth no matter how unpleasant it is
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to read the time from a clock
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slang I know that very well
Tell
2
British
/ tɛl /
noun
tell
3
British
/ tɛl /
noun
tell
More Idioms
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
tellsimple
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tellssimple
-
have toldperfect
-
has toldperfect
-
am tellingprogressive
-
are tellingprogressive
-
is tellingprogressive
-
have been tellingperfect progressive
-
has been tellingperfect progressive
Past
-
toldsimple
-
had toldperfect
-
was tellingprogressive
-
were tellingprogressive
-
had been tellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of tell1
First recorded before 900; Middle English tellen, tel(le) “to speak, talk, say, mention,” Old English tellan “to tell, relate, count”; cognate with Dutch tellen “to reckon, count,” Old Norse telja “to count, number, say,” Old High German zellēn, German zählen “to count, number”; akin to tale
Origin of tell2
First recorded in 1860–65; from Arabic tall “hillock”
Explanation
To tell is to describe or announce something, either by speaking or writing. If you're going to be late to a movie, you should tell your friends so they can save you a seat. You might tell someone to be quiet in the library, or tell a bedtime story to your siblings. You can also tell your friend a secret or tell her secret to someone else. Informally, to tell on someone is to inform an authority about something that person did that she wasn't supposed to do. And there's also a way to use tell to mean "determine with certainty," like when you can tell it's going to rain because the sky is so dark.
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:
Mahmood is expected to tell the Labour Party conference on Monday that "fairness" is behind her approach, limits are needed and communities "must be ready and able to welcome those who come here".
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
For instance, the system uses recognizable sounds, known as auditory icons, to tell caregivers what the problem is, so they can distinguish it immediately.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
I will tell you, I’ve led with the humanitarian thing.
From Slate ● Sep. 28, 2026
But only the fossil record can tell us about long-extinct lineages.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026
I want to tell Father, “Stop, slow,” but I can feel how his spirit, his mind are trying to rush pass sadness.
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Tell that to shippers who still refuse to send their cargo into the Strait of Hormuz.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
Tell us in the comments: How would you market a high-trust product for a brand with a complicated reputation?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
Tell us your thoughts using the comments form at the bottom of this page.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
Another option: Tell the server that you’re covering drinks but you’ll each pay for your own food.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 2, 2026
I pipe up with, “Thanks again for the books, Marisol. Tell Fabiana I’m really excited to read them.”
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
He tells clients in a note that operating leverage across asset management and personal banking should underpin mid-to-high single-digit earnings growth into fiscal 2029.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
“We brought Nikki to where it all began, and she feels good in here,” Navarrette tells me with a hearty chuckle at the space that’s become a destination for “Obsession” obsessives.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
"Something real, something uncompromising. Something that tells you it's just okay to come as you are."
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
The latest data tells us that in July, just over 2,000 people were stuck in hospital that were medically well enough to leave.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
She signals for the cab driver to wait and tells me to get out of the car.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
“The league requested DHS take down the video,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told The Times in an email.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
"I don't know, I've got a game to prepare for and I'm really excited to watch my team," he told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
He informed higher-ups at Goldman of the discussions and was told that if he stayed, he had a good chance of becoming the next Goldman chief, the Journal previously reported.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Three major MAX buyers told AFP they don't fly planes with the problematic new version of the flight management computer software.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
“I never told you about them because they’re so rare.”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
The real audience for these messages are Christian women, a fact that is itself telling.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
In previous instances where the 10-year yield breached 5%, returns over the following 12 months were strong, he has been telling clients.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
Her parents divorced during her early childhood, and Navarrette remembers first telling her mother she wanted to be an actress around age 5.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
The police operation continued throughout most of Sunday, with Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Jon Boutcher telling reporters that officers had been gathering evidence from the outset.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
They’re all from Zara except one that’s from Dad telling me that he needs my help again tomorrow.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
