William Tell
noun
a legendary Swiss patriot forced by the Austrian governor to shoot an apple off his son's head with bow and arrow.
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William Tell
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Tell, William
Tell, WilliamA legendary hero of Switzerland, famous for his skill as an archer. A tyrannical official forced him to shoot an apple off his son's head.
William Tell
Americannoun
Tell, William
Cultural
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.
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That’s why, McKinney says, motels like the Red Apple and William Tell chose to brand themselves so distinctively.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2025
Finally, the film gets surrealistic and even incorporates the William Tell scene from Burroughs' own life.
From Salon ● Dec. 1, 2024
She had written: “There’s a seething stillness to ‘The Card Counter,’ and to star Oscar Isaac’s character, William Tell.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 26, 2021
There is Rat Island, nothing more than a pile of rocks with a strange statue of the Swiss folk hero William Tell.
From Scientific American ● Oct. 12, 2021
Old William Tell himself couldn’t have shot any straighter than I did.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
Said the Herald-American: "Tell William . . . and let William Tell."
From Time Magazine Archive
"Tell William," said the doctor, "to drive round to the surgery before going on to Hamblyn Manor."
From The Squire's Daughter by Silas K(itto) Hocking
Tell William to make some strong coffee as soon as possible.
From Macaria by Augusta J. (Augusta Jane) Evans
Tell William and the other boys to keep their eyes open for him.
From Ruth Fielding in the Great Northwest Or, The Indian Girl Star of the Movies by Alice B. Emerson
Tell William to have the carriage at the door at a quarter-past three; and do you pack my dressing-case, and the few things I shall need for two or three days' absence.
From Norine's Revenge; Sir Noel's Heir by May Agnes Fleming
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
