tell

noun

(informal) A giveaway; something that unintentionally reveals or hints at a secret.

A reflexive, often habitual behavior, especially one occurring in a context that often features attempts at deception by persons under psychological stress (such as a poker game or police interrogation), that reveals information that the person exhibiting the behavior is attempting to withhold.

(Internet) A private message to an individual in a chat room; a whisper.

(archaeology) A hill or mound, originally and especially in the Middle East, over or consisting of the ruins of ancient settlements.

A surname.

(archaic) That which is told; a tale or account.

verb

(transitive, ditransitive) To convey by speech; to say.

(transitive) To instruct or inform.

(transitive, ditransitive) To narrate, to recount.

(transitive) To order; to direct, to say to someone.

(transitive) To reveal.

(transitive or intransitive) To discern, notice, identify or distinguish.

(intransitive) To have an effect, especially a noticeable one; to be apparent, to be demonstrated.

(intransitive) To be revealed.

(intransitive, childish) To inform someone in authority about a wrongdoing.

(authorship, intransitive) To reveal information in prose through outright expository statement — contrasted with show.

(transitive) To use (beads or similar objects) as an aid to prayer.

(transitive, archaic outside of idioms) To count, reckon, or enumerate.

Synonyms for tell

sayv narratev recountv recitev informv knowv retellv explainv speakv disclosev distinguishv notifyv describev talkv apprisev divulgev revealv divulgatev relatev warnv confidev

Words related to tell

toldv assurev knewv clepe tellinglyadv hearv relaterv askv inenarrableadj remindv renotifyv recountal secernv discloserv outspeak forespeak talesman storyn testifyv

Synonyms & related words for tell

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Words related to tell

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Synonyms for tell

Common synonyms for tell include say, narrate, recount, recite, inform, know, retell, explain — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.