tell time

Idioms  

1. Keep track of the hours; also, know how to read a clock or watch. For example, This old clock still tells time quite accurately, or He taught his niece to tell time by using a cuckoo clock. This expression uses tell in the sense of “reckon” or “calculate,” a usage dating from about a.d. 1000.

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Example Sentences

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tell time

These humble devices, which surged into mass production in the first half of the 20th century, had two jobs: tell time and wake you up.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 11, 2026

Combined, the two features helped the religious figures using the site to tell time more exactly.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 22, 2023

Students researched the phases of the moon, then used artwork and writing to create a book about moon phases and how to tell time with them.

From Seattle Times ● May 12, 2023

My grandparents were the ones who took care of me after school, who cooked me tomato egg with rice, who taught me how to count to 10 and how to tell time in Mandarin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2023

Fern was still learning to tell time, so I kept hers in my drawer until she was ready to wear it.

From "One Crazy Summer" by Rita Williams-Garcia