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.
-
to make known by speech or writing (a fact, news, information, etc.); communicate.
- Synonyms:
- impart
-
to announce or proclaim.
-
to utter (the truth, a lie, etc.).
- Synonyms:
- speak
-
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.
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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.
-
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
-
(tr) to communicate by words; utter
to tell the truth
-
(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
-
(intr) to have or produce an impact, effect, or strain
every step told on his bruised feet
-
informal to reveal secrets or gossip (about)
don't tell!
she told on him
-
(tr) to assure
I tell you, I've had enough!
-
(tr) to count (votes)
-
dialect (intr) to talk or chatter
-
informal to tell the truth no matter how unpleasant it is
-
to read the time from a clock
-
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
-
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:
“Look at this nice mom taking care of an infant; surely she’s a nice lady who would never defraud anyone or even tell a single, small lie,” the image desperately wants to tell us.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
"Time will tell whether I'm here in the 2030s. I never want to overstay my welcome in the sense of not having the performance," he added.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
Less than 100 years ago, you could tell a great deal about a person before they had even opened their mouth.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
For the last few years, the 29-year-old Pasadena artist says she’s been frustrated when strangers tell her that her art style looks AI-generated.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
I’m just too scared to tell Grandma I’ve made up my mind.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Tell the dealer or seller “we’ll do the deal if you throw in a charger.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026
Our panel event scheduled for tonight, “Who Gets to Tell the Story? Press Freedom and the Public Square,” will not take place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026
"Tell someone, a friend, a neighbour, once you start telling people, things will move," she said.
From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026
Icy cold glasses of Tell the Truth, a light and lemony ale, sat before them on a high-top table beside a stenographer’s notebook and a laptop.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
Then she said, “I am so sorry to hear about Glimmerwing’s parents. But I am so happy to hear that you have found a mate! Tell me about Glimmerwing. I want to know everything!”
From "The Wild Robot Protects" by Peter Brown
“I’m sorry for not being the kind of mother that you deserve,” she tells Bela in one of the film’s key moments.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
“Each represents tens of billions of dollars in new markets, where our technology, manufacturing assets, and customer relationships provide us a differentiated opportunity to participate,” he tells analysts Thursday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Kurtz said several tells led her to conclude that AI was likely used to alter her work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
Margaret confronts the principal and tells him that Carrie was rattled by the drill and that the whole exercise is traumatizing to students.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
“We’re gonna have to let go once the race starts,” Jonah tells me, holding up our hands.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
“For now, at least, we believe operational execution remains excellent,” RBC Capital Markets analyst Brian Abrahams told investors on Thursday.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
Ford Motor CEO Jim Farley told workers the company expects to reach five million annual car sales by 2032, a roughly 20% increase over current volume.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
Watson, who was able to keep up with the game on a doctor’s phone, said he was told he had broken a rib.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
“Halfway through season 3 of ‘Next Generation,’ I no longer knew where Jean-Luc started and Patrick Stewart left off,” he told reporters at a Television Critics Association press conference in 2020.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
There was a small problem, Don Quixote was told; "the castle's chapel" was "being rebuilt."
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
They roam a mine production area that stretches as far as the eye can see—an area of 3,500 soccer fields—with a computer algorithm telling them where to go next to pick up coal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
That might sounds like stability, but try telling that to someone looking for work.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 30, 2026
Finally Michael 'Vengeful Daddy' Sheen seemed to be on to something, telling a shell-shocked Maya in the kitchen: "I think you could be a brilliant traitor, and if you and Kenny paired up, amazing."
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
Pablo Mejia, 42, escaped with injuries to his head, telling AFP that a last-minute change of seat saved his life.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
When I’m done telling her about last night, there’s only sixty seconds until it’s time.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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