tell

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tells, telling, told

1) VERB If you tell someone something, you give them information.

[V n that] In the evening I returned to tell Phyllis our relationship was over...

[V n wh] I called Andie to tell her how spectacular the stuff looked...

[V n n] Claire had made me promise to tell her the truth...

[V n to n] I only told the truth to the press when the single was released as it seemed the perfect time to do it...

[V n about n] Tell us about your moment on the summit...

[V with quote] Her voice breaking with emotion, she told him: `It doesn't seem fair'. [Also V of n]

2) VERB If you tell something such as a joke, a story, or your personal experiences, you communicate it to other people using speech.

[V n] His friends say he was always quick to tell a joke...

[V n to n] He told his story to The Sunday Times and produced photographs...

[V n n] Will you tell me a story?

3) VERB If you tell someone to do something, you order or advise them to do it.

[V n to-inf] A passer-by told the driver to move his car so that it was not causing an obstruction...

[V n to-inf] She told me on the telephone to come help clean the house.

4) VERB If you tell yourself something, you put it into words in your own mind because you need to encourage or persuade yourself about something.

[V pron-refl with quote] `Come on', she told herself...

[V pron-refl that] I told myself I would be satisfied with whatever I could get.

5) VERB: no cont, oft with brd-neg If you can tell what is happening or what is true, you are able to judge correctly what is happening or what is true.

[V wh] It was already impossible to tell where the bullet had entered...

[V wh] I couldn't tell if he had been in a fight or had just fallen down...

[V that] You can tell he's joking.

6) VERB: no cont, oft with brd-neg If you can tell one thing from another, you are able to recognize the difference between it and other similar things.

[V n between pl-n] I can't really tell the difference between their policies and ours...

[V n from n] How do you tell one from another?...

[V wh] I had to look twice to tell which was Martinez; they all looked alike.

7) VERB If you tell, you reveal or give away a secret. [INFORMAL]

Many of the children know who they are but are not telling.

8) VERB If facts or events tell you something, they reveal certain information to you through ways other than speech.

[V n that] The facts tell us that this is not true...

[V n amount] I don't think the unemployment rate ever tells us much about the future...

[V n n] The evidence of our eyes tells us a different story...

[V n] While most of us feel fairly complacent about the nutrients we're getting from our diets, the facts tell a very different story.

9) VERB 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...

[V on n] The strains of office are beginning to tell on the prime minister.

10) → See also telling, kiss and tell

11) PHRASE (vagueness) 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...

So far as anyone can tell, there's evidence that there was a Robin Hood...

As far as I could tell, neither of us was under observation.

12) CONVENTION (emphasis) 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...

I can't tell you how glad I was to leave that place.

13) CONVENTION 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.

14) CONVENTION 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.'

15) CONVENTION 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.

16) to tell the time → see time

time will tell → see time

Phrasal Verbs:

- tell against

- tell apart

- tell off

- tell on