Transcription
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
- UK Pronunciation
- UK IPA
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- [tel]
- /tɛl/
- /tel/
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- US Pronunciation
- US IPA
-
- [tel]
- /tɛl/
Definitions of tell word
- verb with object tell to give an account or narrative of; narrate; relate (a story, tale, etc.): to tell the story of Lincoln's childhood. 1
- verb with object tell to make known by speech or writing (a fact, news, information, etc.); communicate. 1
- verb with object tell to announce or proclaim. 1
- verb with object tell to utter (the truth, a lie, etc.). 1
- verb with object tell to express in words (thoughts, feelings, etc.). 1
- verb with object tell to reveal or divulge (something secret or private). 1
Information block about the term
Origin of tell
First appearance:
before 900 One of the 4% oldest English words
before 900; Middle English tellen, Old English tellan to relate, count; cognate with Dutch tellen to reckon, count, Old Norse telja to count, say, Old High German zellēn; akin to tale
Historical Comparancy
Parts of speech for Tell
noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
tell popularity
A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".
tell usage trend in Literature
This diagram is provided by Google Ngram ViewerSynonyms for tell
verb tell
- accounted — an oral or written description of particular events or situations; narrative: an account of the meetings; an account of the trip.
- acquaint — If you acquaint someone with something, you tell them about it so that they know it. If you acquaint yourself with something, you learn about it.
- add up — If facts or events do not add up, they make you confused about a situation because they do not seem to be consistent. If something that someone has said or done adds up, it is reasonable and sensible.
- admit — If you admit that something bad, unpleasant, or embarrassing is true, you agree, often unwillingly, that it is true.
- advise — If you advise someone to do something, you tell them what you think they should do.
Antonyms for tell
verb tell
- antiqued — An antiqued object is modern but has been made to look like an antique.
- antiquing — of or belonging to the past; not modern.
- ask — If you ask someone something, you say something to them in the form of a question because you want to know the answer.
- beg the question — If you say that something begs a particular question, you mean that it makes people want to ask that question; some people consider that this use is incorrect.
- belie — If one thing belies another, it hides the true situation and so creates a false idea or image of someone or something.
Top questions with tell
- how to tell if a guy likes you?
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- tell me what you want?
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