DictionaryAI

tell

TEL/tɛl/

Formstells, telling, told

Often confused with say

14 meanings of tell

Practice

  1. 1
    informverbtransitive
    To say something to someone in words, such as a fact, an explanation, the truth or a lie, or how to do something.

    Can you tell me the way to the station?

    The label tells you how much to take.

    UsageTell usually puts the listener first: tell me the news. With say, use to: say it to me (not incorrect: say me).

  2. 2
    narrateverbtransitive
    To narrate or recount.

    Grandmother could tell the old legends by heart.

    Every winter, my grandfather would tell the story of the night he walked home through a blizzard.

    UsageWe tell stories and jokes, and the listener can come first: tell me a story.

    Similarnarrate, recount, relate

  3. 3
    orderverbtransitive
    To order or direct; to say to someone that they should do something.

    Just tell them to wait outside.

    We were told to leave the building at once.

    UsagePattern: tell someone to do something; the negative is not to: she told me not to wait.

    Similarorder, instruct, direct, command

    Note

    Command takes the shape of an object plus a to-infinitive: tell him to go away, he told her not to be a fool. That infinitive marks an order. In the informing meaning, what follows is a fact or a question instead: tell me that she was your wife.

  4. 4
    recognizeverbtransitive or intransitive
    To perceive or make out; to recognize something or distinguish it from something else.

    An expert can tell a fake at a glance.

    Whether she loves me or not, sometimes it's hard to tell.

    UsageOften with can: I can tell you're tired. Also tell one thing from another, or tell two things apart.

    Similardistinguish, discern, spot, identify, know

    Note

    Here the work is in the noticing, not the speaking: the one who tells is the one who works something out.

  5. 5
    revealverbtransitive
    To reveal.

    Only the records will tell who was right.

    Her face tells the whole story.

    Similarshow, reveal, indicate

    Oppositehide, conceal

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of tell apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

This sense comes from Middle English "tellen" and Old English "tellan" (to count, tell), from Proto-Germanic roots meaning "to count" or "number," ultimately from a Proto-Indo-European root linked to calculation. It is related to Dutch "tellen" (to count) and German "zählen," and connects to the word "tale."

Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 6 facts