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tells

 - 5 dictionary results

tell

1  [tel] ,verb, told, tell⋅ing.
–verb (used with object)
1. to give an account or narrative of; narrate; relate (a story, tale, etc.): to tell the story of Lincoln's childhood.
2. to make known by speech or writing (a fact, news, information, etc.); communicate.
3. to announce or proclaim.
4. to utter (the truth, a lie, etc.).
5. to express in words (thoughts, feelings, etc.).
6. to reveal or divulge (something secret or private).
7. to say plainly or positively: I cannot tell just what was done.
8. to discern or recognize (a distant person or thing) so as to be able to identify or describe: Can you tell who that is over there?
9. to distinguish; discriminate; ascertain: You could hardly tell the difference between them.
10. to inform (a person) of something: He told me his name.
11. to assure emphatically: I won't, I tell you!
12. to bid, order, or command: Tell him to stop.
13. to mention one after another, as in enumerating; count or set one by one or in exact amount: to tell the cattle in a herd; All told there were 17 if we are correct.
–verb (used without object)
14. to give an account or report: Tell me about your trip.
15. to give evidence or be an indication: The ruined temples told of an ancient culture, long since passed from existence.
16. to disclose something secret or private; inform; tattle: She knows who did it, but she won't tell.
17. to say positively; determine; predict: Who can tell?
18. to have force or effect; operate effectively: a contest in which every stroke tells.
19. to produce a marked or severe effect: The strain was telling on his health.
20. British Dialect. to talk or chat.
—Verb phrases
21. tell off,
a. to separate from the whole and assign to a particular duty.
b. Informal. to rebuke severely; scold: It was about time that someone told him off.
22. tell on, to tattle on (someone).
—Idiom
23. tell it like it is, Informal. to tell the complete, unadulterated truth; be forthright: He may be crude but he tells it like it is.
Use tells in a Sentence
Origin:
bef. 900; ME tellen, OE tellan to relate, count; c. D tellen to reckon, count, ON telja to count, say, OHG zellēn; akin to tale

Synonyms:
1. recount, describe, report. 2. impart. 4. speak. 6. disclose, betray; acknowledge, own, confess; declare.

tell

2  [tel] ,
–noun
an artificial mound consisting of the accumulated remains of one or more ancient settlements (often used in Egypt and the Middle East as part of a place name).
Origin:
1860–65; < Ar tall hillock
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To tells
tell 1   (těl)   
v.   told (tōld), tell·ing, tells

v.   tr.

  1. To give a detailed account of; narrate: tell what happened; told us a story.

  2. To communicate by speech or writing; express with words: tell the truth; tell one's love.

  3. To make known; reveal: tell a secret; tell fortunes.

  4. To notify; inform.

  5. To inform positively; assure: I tell you, the plan will work.

  6. To give instructions to; direct: told the customers to wait in line.

  7. To discover by observation; discern: could tell that he was upset.

  8. To name or number one by one; count: telling one's blessings; 16 windows, all told.

v.   intr.

  1. To give an account or revelation: is prepared to break silence and tell.

  2. To give evidence; inform: promised not to tell on her friend.

  3. To have an effect or impact: In this game every move tells.

Phrasal Verb(s):
tell off Informal To rebuke severely; reprimand.

[Middle English tellen, from Old English tellan; see del-2 in Indo-European roots.]
tell'a·ble adj.
tell 2   (těl)   
n.  A mound, especially in the Middle East, made up of the remains of a succession of previous settlements.

[Arabic tall; see tll in Semitic roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

tell  (n.)
"mound, hill," 1864, from Arabic tall, related to Heb. tel "mount, hill, heap."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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