Adjacent Words

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

TELL, v.t. pret. and pp. told. [L. telum; L.appello and peal, L. pello.]
1. To utter; to express in words; to communicate to others.
I will not eat till I have told my errand. Genesis 24.
2. To relate; to narrate; to rehearse particulars; as, to tell a story. Genesis 37.
And not a man appears to tell their fate.
3. To teach; to inform; to make known; to show by words. Tell us the way.
Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? Genesis 12.
4. To discover; to disclose; to betray.
They will tell it to the inhabitants of this land. Numbers 14.
5. To count; to number.
Look now towards heaven, and tell the stars. Genesis 15.
6. To relate in confession; to confess or acknowledge.
Tell me now what thou hast done. Josh 7.
7. To publish.
Tell it not in Gath. 1 Samuel 1.
8. To unfold; to interpret; to explain. Ezek 24.
9. To make excuses.
Tush, never tell me. [Not elegant.]
10. To make known.
Our feelings tell us how long they ought to have submitted.
11. To discover; to find; to discern. The colors are so blended that I cannot tell where one ends and the other begins.
Tell, though equivalent in some respects to speak and say, has not always the same application. We say, to tell this, that or what, to tell a story, to tell a word, to tell truth or falsehood, to tell a number, to tell the reasons, to tell something or nothing; but we never say, to tell a speech, discourse or oration, or to tell an argument or a lesson. It is much used in commands. Tell me the whole story; tell me all you know, or all that was said. Tell has frequently the sense of narrate; which speak and say have not.
TELL, v.i. To give an account; to make report.
--That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. Psalms 36.
To tell of
To tell on - to inform. You must not disobey; I will tell of you if you do. This is a common popular use of the word. To tell on, is quite vulgar as well as improper.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer; according to legend an Austrian governor compelled him to shoot an apple from his son's head with his crossbow (which he did successfully without mishap) [syn: Tell, William Tell] v
1: express in words; "He said that he wanted to marry her"; "tell me what is bothering you"; "state your opinion"; "state your name" [syn: state, say, tell]
2: let something be known; "Tell them that you will be late"
3: narrate or give a detailed account of; "Tell what happened"; "The father told a story to his child" [syn: tell, narrate, recount, recite]
4: give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority; "I said to him to go home"; "She ordered him to do the shopping"; "The mother told the child to get dressed" [syn: order, tell, enjoin, say]
5: discern or comprehend; "He could tell that she was unhappy"
6: inform positively and with certainty and confidence; "I tell you that man is a crook!" [syn: assure, tell]
7: give evidence; "he was telling on all his former colleague" [syn: tell, evidence]
8: mark as different; "We distinguish several kinds of maple" [syn: distinguish, separate, differentiate, secern, secernate, severalize, severalise, tell, tell apart]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb (told; telling) Etymology: Middle English, from Old English tellan; akin to Old High German zellen to count, tell, Old English talu tale Date: before 12th century transitive verb 1. count, enumerate <tell the stars, if thou be able to number them — Genesis
15:5(Authorized Version)> 2. a. to relate in detail ; narrate <told the whole story to us> b. to give utterance to ; say <could never tell a lie> 3. a. to make known ; divulge, reveal <don't tell your password> b. to express in words <she never told her love — Shakespeare> 4. a. to give information to ; inform <tell us about your job> b. to assure emphatically <they did not do it, I tell you> 5. order, direct <told me to wait> 6. to find out by observing ; recognize <you can tell it's a masterpiece> intransitive verb 1. to give an account <an article telling of her experience> 2. to act as an informer — often used with on <I'll get even with you if you ever tell on me — Inside Detective> 3. to have a marked effect <the pressure was beginning to tell on him> 4. to serve as evidence or indication Synonyms: see reveal II. noun Etymology: Arabic tall Date: 1864 hill, mound; specifically an ancient mound in the Middle East composed of remains of successive settlements

Oxford Reference Dictionary

1. v. (past and past part. told) 1 tr. relate or narrate in speech or writing; give an account of (tell me a story). 2 tr. make known; express in words; divulge (tell me your name; tell me what you want). 3 tr. reveal or signify to (a person) (your face tells me everything). 4 tr. a utter (don't tell lies). b warn (I told you so). 5 intr. a (often foll. by of, about) divulge information or a description; reveal a secret (I told of the plan; promise you won't tell). b (foll. by on) colloq. inform against (a person). 6 tr. (foll. by to + infin.) give (a person) a direction or order (tell them to wait; do as you are told). 7 tr. assure (it's true, I tell you). 8 tr. explain in writing; instruct (this book tells you how to cook). 9 tr. decide, determine, distinguish (cannot tell which button to press; how do you tell one from the other?). 10 intr. a (often foll. by on) produce a noticeable effect (every disappointment tells; the strain was beginning to tell on me). b reveal the truth (time will tell). c have an influence (the evidence tells against you). 11 tr. (often absol.) count (votes) at a meeting, election, etc. Phrases and idioms: as far as one can tell judging from the available information. tell apart distinguish between (usu. with neg. or interrog.: could not tell them apart). tell me another colloq. an expression of incredulity. tell off 1 colloq. reprimand, scold. 2 count off or detach for duty. tell a tale (or its own tale) be significant or revealing. tell tales report a discreditable fact about another. tell that to the marines see MARINE. tell the time determine the time from the face of a clock or watch. there is no telling it is impossible to know (there's no telling what may happen). you're telling me colloq. I agree wholeheartedly. Derivatives: tellable adj. Etymology: OE tellan f. Gmc, rel. to TALE 2. n. Archaeol. an artificial mound in the Middle East etc. formed by the accumulated remains of ancient settlements. Etymology: Arab. tall hillock

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tell Tell, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Told; p. pr. & vb. n. Telling.] [AS. tellan, from talu tale, number, speech; akin to D. tellen to count, G. z["a]hlen, OHG. zellen to count, tell, say, Icel. telja, Dan. tale to speak, t[ae]lle to count. See Tale that which is told.] 1. To mention one by one, or piece by piece; to recount; to enumerate; to reckon; to number; to count; as, to tell money. ``An heap of coin he told.'' --Spenser. He telleth the number of the stars. --Ps. cxlvii. 4. Tell the joints of the body. --Jer. Taylor. 2. To utter or recite in detail; to give an account of; to narrate. Of which I shall tell all the array. --Chaucer. And not a man appears to tell their fate. --Pope. 3. To make known; to publish; to disclose; to divulge. Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife? --Gen. xii. 18. 4. To give instruction to; to make report to; to acquaint; to teach; to inform. A secret pilgrimage, That you to-day promised to tell me of? --Shak. 5. To order; to request; to command. He told her not to be frightened. --Dickens. 6. To discern so as to report; to ascertain by observing; to find out; to discover; as, I can not tell where one color ends and the other begins. 7. To make account of; to regard; to reckon; to value; to estimate. [Obs.] I ne told no dainity of her love. --Chaucer. Note: Tell, though equivalent in some respect to speak and say, has not always the same application. We say, to tell truth or falsehood, to tell a number, to tell the reasons, to tell something or nothing; but we never say, to tell a speech, discourse, or oration, or to tell an argument or a lesson. It is much used in commands; as, tell me the whole story; tell me all you know. To tell off, to count; to divide. --Sir W. Scott. Syn: To communicate; impart; reveal; disclose; inform; acquaint; report; repeat; rehearse; recite.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tell Tell, v. i. 1. To give an account; to make report. That I may publish with the voice of thankgiving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. --Ps. xxvi. 7. 2. To take effect; to produce a marked effect; as, every shot tells; every expression tells. To tell of. (a) To speak of; to mention; to narrate or describe. (b) To inform against; to disclose some fault of. To tell on, to inform against. [Archaic & Colloq.] Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David. --1 Sam. xxvii. 11.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tell Tell, n. That which is told; tale; account. [R.] I am at the end of my tell. --Walpole.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Tell Tell, n. [Ar.] A hill or mound. --W. M. Thomson.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(tells, telling, told) Frequency: The word is one of the 700 most common words in English. 1. If you tell someone something, you give them information. In the evening I returned to tell Phyllis our relationship was over... I called Andie to tell her how spectacular the stuff looked... Claire had made me promise to tell her the truth... I only told the truth to the press when the single was released as it seemed the perfect time to do it... Tell us about your moment on the summit... Her voice breaking with emotion, she told him: 'It doesn't seem fair'. VERB: V n that, V n wh, V n n, V n to n, V n about n, V with quote 2. If you tell something such as a joke, a story, or your personal experiences, you communicate it to other people using speech. His friends say he was always quick to tell a joke... He told his story to The Sunday Times and produced photographs... Will you tell me a story? VERB: V n, V n to n, V n n 3. If you tell someone to do something, you order or advise them to do it. A passer-by told the driver to move his car so that it was not causing an obstruction... VERB: V n to-inf 4. If you tell yourself something, you put it into words in your own mind because you need to encourage or persuade yourself about something. 'Come on', she told herself... I told myself I would be satisfied with whatever I could get. VERB: V pron-refl with quote, V pron-refl that 5. If you can tell what is happening or what is true, you are able to judge correctly what is happening or what is true. It was already impossible to tell where the bullet had entered... You can tell he's joking. VERB: no cont, oft with brd-neg, V wh, V that 6. If you can tell one thing from another, you are able to recognize the difference between it and other similar things. I can't really tell the difference between their policies and ours... How do you tell one from another?... I had to look twice to tell which was Martinez; they all looked alike. VERB: no cont, oft with brd-neg, V n between pl-n, V n from n, V wh 7. If you tell, you reveal or give away a secret. (INFORMAL) Many of the children know who they are but are not telling. VERB: V 8. If facts or events tell you something, they reveal certain information to you through ways other than speech. The facts tell us that this is not true... I don't think the unemployment rate ever tells us much about the future... The evidence of our eyes tells us a different story... While most of us feel fairly complacent about the nutrients we're getting from our diets, the facts tell a very different story. VERB: V n that, V n amount, V n n, V n 9. If an unpleasant or tiring experience begins to tell, it begins to have a serious effect. The pressure began to tell as rain closed in after 20 laps... VERB: V 10. see also telling, kiss and tell 11. You use as far as I can tell or so far as I could tell to indicate that what you are saying is based on the information you have, but that there may be things you do not know. As far as I can tell, Jason is basically a nice guy... PHRASE [vagueness] 12. You can say 'I tell you', 'I can tell you', or 'I can't tell you' to add emphasis to what you are saying. (INFORMAL) I tell you this, I will not rest until that day has come... This little letter gave us a few chuckles, I can tell you... CONVENTION [emphasis] 13. If you say 'You never can tell', you mean that the future is always uncertain and it is never possible to know exactly what will happen. You never can tell what life is going to bring you. CONVENTION 14. If someone disagrees with you or refuses to do what you suggest and you are eventually proved to be right, you can say 'I told you so'. (INFORMAL) Her parents did not approve of her decision and, if she failed, her mother would say, 'I told you so.' CONVENTION 15. You use I'll tell you what or I tell you what to introduce a suggestion or a new topic of conversation. (SPOKEN) I tell you what, I'll bring the water in a separate glass. CONVENTION 16. to tell the time: see time time will tell: see time

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

See TALE.

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Number, count, enumerate, compute, reckon, run over, sum up, take an account of, mention one by one. 2. Relate, recount, rehearse, narrate, describe, report, give an account of. 3. Disclose, reveal, divulge, confess, betray, acknowledge, own, declare, make known. 4. Acquaint, teach, inform, apprise, make known to, explain to, instruct, communicate to. 5. Discern, discover, make out, distinguish, find out. 6. Express, utter, speak, state, mention, communicate, publish speak of, make mention of. II. v. n. 1. Give account, make report. 2. (Colloq.) Take effect, be effective.

Moby Thesaurus

acknowledge, acquaint, admit, advertise, advertise of, advise, affect, air, allegorize, amount to something, announce, apprise, approve, argue, articulate, ascertain, assert, asseverate, attest, aver, barrow, be effective, be featured, be influential, be persuasive, be prominent, be somebody, be something, berate, bespeak, betoken, betray, bid, blab, break, break it to, break the news, breathe, brief, bring out, bring to light, bring word, broadcast, call off, call over, call the roll, carry weight, castigate, censure, census, charge, chew out, chide, chime, chime in, chorus, clue, come home to, come out with, command, communicate, confess, confide, confide to, confirm, connote, convey, count, cut ice, cut some ice, declare, delineate, deliver, demonstrate, denote, depict, describe, determine, differentiate, direct, discern, disclose, discover, discriminate, display, disseminate, distinguish, divulgate, divulge, emit, enjoin, enlighten, enumerate, enunciate, evidence, evince, evulgate, exhibit, explain, express, fable, fabulize, familiarize, fictionalize, fill in, fling off, foliate, forecast, foresee, foretell, formulate, furnish evidence, get across, get over, get top billing, give, give a report, give away, give expression, give indication of, give notice, give out, give out with, give the facts, give tidings of, give tongue, give utterance, give vent to, give voice, give word, go to show, hand on, have, have an in, have full play, have influence, have personality, have pull, herald, hillock, hint at, hit, hit the mark, identify, illustrate, impart, imply, import, impress, impress forcibly, indicate, inform, instruct, intimate, involve, know, know again, leak, leave word, lecture, let get around, let in on, let know, let out, let slip, lip, make an impression, make known, make out, manifest, mark, matter, measure, mention, mention to, militate, mound, mouth, mythicize, mythify, mythologize, nail, narrate, notify, novelize, number, numerate, order, out with, outline, page, paginate, pass, pass along, pass on, peach, peg, perceive, phonate, phrase, place, point to, poll, portray, post, pour forth, predict, present, proclaim, pronounce, prophesy, publish, put, put forth, put in words, quantify, quantize, raise, rat, realize, rebuke, recall knowledge of, recite, recognize, recount, refer to, rehearse, reidentify, relate, release, render, report, reprimand, reproach, reprove, require, retell, reveal, rock, romance, rumor, run over, say, scold, send, send word, serve notice, set forth, share, share with, show, show signs of, signal, signalize, signify, sink in, smite, sound, speak, speak for itself, speak volumes, spill, spill the beans, spot, squeak, squeal, stand out, star, state, storify, strike, strike hard, strike home, suggest, swear, symptomatize, take to task, tale, talk, tally, tattle, tattle on, tell a story, tell off, tell on, tend to show, throw off, throw out, tick off, touch on, transfer, transmit, traumatize, trumpet, tumulus, understand, unfold a tale, utter, vent, ventilate, verbalize, verse, vocalize, voice, warn, weigh, whisper, word, write up