tell

/tɛl/

Reviewed on

Also a noun

Meaning

  1. To communicate information, facts, or news to someone in speech or writing.

    • She decided to tell her supervisor about the unexpected delay in the schedule.

  2. To instruct, order, or direct someone to do something.

    • The doctor had to tell him to rest for at least two weeks.

  3. To recognize, distinguish, or perceive a difference between things.

    • In the dim evening light, it was impossible to tell which path led home.

  4. To produce a noticeable, usually negative or exhausting, effect over time.

    • Years of working grueling overnight shifts began to tell on his physical health.

How it's used

When this means “give information to someone”

  • tell the manager the news

“tell him it.”

She will tell her assistant the whole story tomorrow.

When this means “instruct someone”

  • tell the staff to leave

“tell them to leave.”

The officer had to tell the visitors to step back immediately.

When this means “distinguish between things”

  • tell the difference

“tell them apart.”

Few consumers can tell the difference between the two competing brands.

Collocations

  • tell the truth
  • tell a lie
  • tell a story
  • tell apart
  • tell time

Synonyms

  • inform
  • narrate
  • instruct
  • order
  • distinguish
  • discern

Antonyms

Idioms

  • time will tell

    used to say that the outcome will only be known in the future

    Only time will tell if their ambitious business strategy actually succeeds.

  • tell it like it is

    to describe a situation honestly and directly without sugarcoating

    Colleagues respected the manager because she always chose to tell it like it is.

  • you never can tell

    used to express that the future or truth is uncertain

    The market is volatile, so you never can tell what might happen next.