tole

or tôle

[ tohl ]

/ toʊl /

Save This Word!

noun

enameled or lacquered metalware, usually with gilt decoration, often used, especially in the 18th century, for trays, lampshades, etc.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of tole

1925–30; <French tôle sheet of iron, plate, dialectal variant of tabletable

Words nearby tole

Toland, tolar, tolbooth, tolbutamide, told, tole, Toledo, tolerable, tolerance, tolerance zone, tolerant

Other definitions for tole (2 of 2)

tole²

[ tohl ]

/ toʊl /

verb (used with object), toled, tol·ing.

toll² (defs. 5, 6).

How to use tole in a sentence

He tole her he had a nice forty acres fer sale–hunderd down, the balance later on.
Alec Lloyd, Cowpuncher|Eleanor Gates
I done tole her, an' her face lit right up like de sun shinin' in de mawnin'.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
Now, hain't I, an' I hain't tole many lies, nor tached a thing sense I took that bill from him.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
Miss Dory never tole nothin'; she was silent as de grave about—him—de fader of de lill chile, I mean.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes

I don't remember, 'case as I said my memory is ole an' leaky, and mebby I ain't tellin' it right in course as I tole him.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes

British Dictionary definitions for tole

tole

/ (təʊl) /

noun

enamelled or lacquered metal ware, usually gilded, popular in the 18th century

Word Origin for tole

from French tôle sheet metal, from French (dialect): table, from Latin tabula table

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