Tell Definition

tĕl

telling, tells, told

verb

telling, tells, told

To give an account or description (of something)

Webster's New World

To express in words; utter; say.

To tell the truth.

Webster's New World

To give evidence or be an indication (of something)

Webster's New World

To carry tales; reveal secrets.

To kiss and tell.

Webster's New World

To report; announce; publish.

Webster's New World

Synonyms:

Antonyms:

noun

tells

An unconscious movement, gesture, mannerism, etc., such as repeatedly checking one's cards or behaving nervously in some way, which unintentionally reveals information about one's hand to other players.

Webster's New World

Any behavior that unintentionally reveals one's unspoken thoughts or motivations.

Webster's New World

Esp. in the Middle East, a large mound or hill, built up gradually, covering the successive remains of ancient communities.

Webster's New World

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.

Wiktionary

That which is told; tale; account.

Wiktionary

Synonyms:

Synonyms:
william tell

idiom

tell time

To determine the time of day indicated by the positions of the hands on a clock.

American Heritage

do tell!

is that a fact?

Webster's New World

tell off

to count (persons, etc.) and separate them from the total number
to rebuke severely

Webster's New World

tell on

to have a marked, usually adverse, effect on
to inform against or gossip about

Webster's New World

Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Tell

Origin of Tell

From Middle English tellen (“to count, tell"), from Old English tellan (“to count, tell"), from Proto-Germanic *taljanÄ…, *talzijanÄ… (“to count, enumerate"), from Proto-Germanic *talÄ…, *talÇ (“number, counting"), from Proto-Indo-European *dol- (“calculation, fraud"). Cognate with English tally (“to count"), West Frisian telle (“to count"), West Frisian fertelle (“to tell, narrate"), Dutch tellen (“to count"), Low German tellen (“to count") and förtellen (“to tell, narrate"), Old High German zellen (German zählen, “to count"), German erzählen (“to tell, recount"), Old Norse telja (Faroese telja, “to count, tell"). More at tale.

From Wiktionary
Middle English tellen from Old English tellan del-² in Indo-European roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
From Arabic تل (tall, “hill, elevation"), from Proto-Semitic *tall- (“hill").

From Wiktionary
Arabic tall tll in Semitic roots

From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition