telling

[ tel-ing ]

/ ˈtɛl ɪŋ /

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adjective

having force or effect; effective; striking: a telling blow.

revealing; indicative of much otherwise unnoticed: a telling analysis of motivation in business.

Nearby words

Origin of telling

First recorded in 1850–55; tell¹ + -ing²

SYNONYMS FOR telling

1. powerful, forceful, potent, weighty.

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Related formstell·ing·ly, adverbun·tell·ing, adjective

tell

[ tel ]

/ tɛl /

verb (used with object), told, tell·ing.

to give an account or narrative of; narrate; relate (a story, tale, etc.): to tell the story of Lincoln's childhood.

to make known by speech or writing (a fact, news, information, etc.); communicate.

to announce or proclaim.

to utter (the truth, a lie, etc.).

to express in words (thoughts, feelings, etc.).

to reveal or divulge (something secret or private).

to say plainly or positively: I cannot tell just what was done.

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?

to distinguish; discriminate; ascertain: You could hardly tell the difference between them.

to inform (a person) of something: He told me his name.

to assure emphatically: I won't, I tell you!

to bid, order, or command: Tell him to stop.

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), told, tell·ing.

to give an account or report: Tell me about your trip.

to give evidence or be an indication: The ruined temples told of an ancient culture, long since passed from existence.

to disclose something secret or private; inform; tattle: She knows who did it, but she won't tell.

to say positively; determine; predict: Who can tell?

to have force or effect; operate effectively: a contest in which every stroke tells.

to produce a marked or severe effect: The strain was telling on his health.

British Dialect. to talk or chat.

Verb Phrases

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.

tell on, to tattle on (someone).

Origin of tell

before 900; Middle English tellen, Old English tellan to relate, count; cognate with Dutch tellen to reckon, count, Old Norse telja to count, say, Old High German zellēn; akin to tale

SYNONYMS FOR tell

1. recount, describe, report. 2. impart. 4. speak. 6. disclose, betray; acknowledge, own, confess; declare.

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Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for telling

Have a look at this telling research from Pew on blasphemy and apostasy laws around the world.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
So she lies to the knight, telling him Madalena is sorry and wants him back.
‘Galavant’: A Drunken, Horny Musical Fairy Tale|Melissa Leon|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
French President François Hollande is telling the French people they should “not lump them together.”
France’s Wave of Crazy-Terror Christmas Attacks|Christopher Dickey|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even before the shootings, New York policeman were telling the Mayor not to attend their funerals.
GOP Won’t Forgive Rand for Cop Critique|Lloyd Green|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Either way, guests seeking a holiday getaway there can also enjoy a tingle of telling truth to power by posting their own reviews.
Inside the ‘Surprisingly Great’ North Korean Hacker Hotel|Michael Daly|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Don was telling some of his adventures, and no one but Celestia Ann in the kitchen noticed the ringing of the door-bell.
Mildred at Home|Martha Finley
A simple story, too, and yet there are so many ways of telling it!
Henrietta Temple|Benjamin Disraeli
The official evidently was telling Argo something of importance.
Tarrano the Conqueror|Raymond King Cummings
"There's no telling what she's going to do," Mrs. Baxter went on, with a gentle sigh.
The Walking Delegate|Leroy Scott
There 's a set of fellows at work, all over the world, telling the people about their rights.
The Dodd Family Abroad, Vol. I.(of II)|Charles James Lever

British Dictionary definitions for telling

telling

/ (ˈtɛlɪŋ) /

adjective

having a marked effect or impacta telling blow

revealinga telling smile

Derived Formstellingly, adverb

Tell

/ (tɛl) /

noun

William, German name Wilhelm Tell. a legendary Swiss patriot, who, traditionally, lived in the early 14th century and was compelled by an Austrian governor to shoot an apple from his son's head with one shot of his crossbow. He did so without mishap

tell

/ (tɛl) /

verb tells, telling or told

(when tr, may take a clause as object) to let know or notifyhe told me that he would go

(tr) to order or instruct (someone to do something)I told her to send the letter airmail

(when intr, usually foll by of) to give an account or narration (of something)she told me her troubles

(tr) to communicate by words; utterto tell the truth

(tr) to make known; discloseto tell fortunes

(intr often foll by of) to serve as an indicationher blush told of her embarrassment

(tr; used with can, etc; may take a clause as object) to comprehend, discover, or discernI can tell what is wrong

(tr; used with can, etc) to distinguish or discriminatehe couldn't tell chalk from cheese

(intr) to have or produce an impact, effect, or strainevery step told on his bruised feet

(intr sometimes foll by on) informal to reveal secrets or gossip (about)don't tell!; she told on him

(tr) to assureI tell you, I've had enough!

(tr) to count (votes)

(intr) dialect to talk or chatter

informal, mainly US to tell the truth no matter how unpleasant it is

tell the time to read the time from a clock

you're telling me slang I know that very well

Word Origin for tell

Old English tellan; related to Old Saxon tellian, Old High German zellen to tell, count, Old Norse telja

tell

/ (tɛl) /

noun

a large mound resulting from the accumulation of rubbish on a long-settled site, esp one with mudbrick buildings, particularly in the Middle East

Word Origin for tell

C19: from Arabic tall

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 telling

tell

"mound, hill," 1864, from Arabic tall, related to Hebrew tel "mount, hill, heap."

tell

Old English tellan "to reckon, calculate, consider, account," from Proto-Germanic *taljanan "to mention in order" (cf. Old Saxon tellian, Old Norse telja, Old Frisian tella "to count, tell," Dutch tellen "to count, reckon," Old Saxon talon "to count, reckon," Danish tale "to speak," Old High German zalon, German zählen "to count, reckon"), from root *talo (see tale). Meaning "to narrate, relate" is from c.1000; that of "to make known by speech or writing, announce" is from early 12c. Sense of "to reveal or disclose" is from c.1400; that of "to act as an informer, to 'peach' " is recorded from 1901. Meaning "to order (someone to do something)" is from 1590s. Original sense in teller and phrase to tell time. For sense evolution, cf. French conter "to count," raconter "to recount;" Italian contare, Spanish contar "to count, recount, narrate;" German zählen "to count," erzählen "to recount, narrate."

I tolde hyme so, & euer he seyde nay. [Thomas Hoccleve, "The Regiment of Princes," c.1412]

Telling "having effect or force" is from 1852.

Idioms and Phrases with telling

tell

In addition to the idioms beginning with tell

tell apart
tell a thing or two
tell it like it is
tell it to the Marines
tell me
tell off
tell on
tell someone where to get off
tell tales
tell time

also see:

do tell
kiss and tell
show and tell
something tells me
there's no telling
thing or two, tell a
time will tell
which is which, tell
you never can tell
you're telling me

Also see undertold.

telling

adjective

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of telling

tell

verb (used with object), told, tell·ing.

verb (used without object), told, tell·ing.

Verb Phrases

Origin of tell

Examples from the Web for telling

telling

adjective

Tell

noun

tell

verb tells, telling or told

Word Origin for tell

tell

noun

Word Origin for tell

tell

tell

tell