tell it like it is

Idioms  

1. Speak the truth, no matter how unpleasant. For example, We're obligated to tell it like it is to the stockholders. [Slang; second half of 1900s]

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Example Sentences

As I reported earlier, however, their efforts to tell it like it is were confounded by their own ignorance.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2026

I’ll have to just tell it like it is.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

“We must tell it like it is — any potential damage to Zaporizhzhia is suicide,” Mr. Guterres said, echoing comments he made earlier this month.

From New York Times • Aug. 18, 2022

Some people want the books they read to tell it like it is.

From Washington Post • Jun. 22, 2021

When you prepare your report, just tell it like it is.

From The Universe — or Nothing by Moldeven, Meyer