tell
verb (used with object)
to give an account or narrative of; narrate; relate (a story, tale, etc.).
was telling
-
past progressiveof tell.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
"It happened very quickly, because I was moving fast. My daughter was very hungry and she was telling me, 'Dad, stop taking photos, I've had enough,'" he said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026
“The story I thought I was telling with my filmmaking, the stories of lives lived over decades, is now disjointed, confused — the reels are all out of order,” he says.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
"The hardest bit by far was telling the kids," he said.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
“The God of Ballet was telling me: ‘You’re meant to do ballet.’
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Before long she was telling this stranger about her anxiety in not being able to phone her father, and giving details of her family life, including about her famous mother, Patricia Neal, the actress.
From "Mountains Beyond Mountains" by Tracy Kidder and Michael French
