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tell
- pronunciation:
- tel
- parts of speech:
- transitive verb, intransitive verb
- features:
- Note, Word Explorer
| part of speech: |
transitive verb |
| inflections: |
tells, telling, told |
| definition 1: |
to express verbally; relate in spoken or written words.
In her book, the author tells the story of a young orphaned girl.
- synonyms:
- impart, relate
- similar words:
- announce, bid, communicate, express, narrate, recount, repeat, report, speak, spin, verbalize, write
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| definition 2: |
to provide (someone) with information.
He told me about the accident.- synonyms:
- apprise, enlighten, inform
- similar words:
- acquaint, advise, announce, clue, communicate, notify
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| definition 3: |
to make known; divulge.
He'll never tell the secret.- synonyms:
- disclose, divulge, reveal, spill
- similar words:
- apprise, give away, impart, leak, repeat, report
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| definition 4: |
to command.
Please tell the children to behave.- synonyms:
- command, demand, direct, instruct, order
- similar words:
- bid, charge, dictate, require
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| definition 5: |
to distinguish.
He can't tell the difference between butter and margarine.- synonyms:
- discern, distinguish
- similar words:
- differentiate, discriminate, know, see
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| related words: |
alert, ask, betray, chronicle, confide, contact, demonstrate, disclose, fill in, indicate, let out, order, pass, phrase, rehearse, rumor, say, state, tattle, warn |
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| part of speech: |
intransitive verb |
| definition 1: |
to give an account, description, or report.
- synonyms:
- narrate, report
- similar words:
- recite, speak
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| definition 2: |
to give evidence.
Her success tells of her hard work.- synonyms:
- speak
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| definition 3: |
to reveal a secret or private matter.
- synonyms:
- confide, talk, unbosom
- similar words:
- confess, inform, leak, rat
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| definition 4: |
to have some pronounced effect or impact.
Stress tells on her ability to work well. |
| related words: |
communicate, inform, open up, show, tattle |
tell or say?
Say is used to report the words that someone spoke. Tell is used to report an act of communication between people. The emphasis with say is on words. The emphasis with tell is on both the person who receives a message and the message itself. Compare: - She said that she was sick
- She told me that she was sick.
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