tell

Definitions

1. 1.Tell the joints of the body. Jer. Taylor.
2. 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. 3.To make known; to publish; to disclose; to divulge. Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife Gen. xii.
4. 4.4. 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. 5.To order; to request; to command. He told her not to be frightened. Dickens.
6. 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. 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.
8. 8.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.
9. 9.2. 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.
10. 10.That which is told; tale; account. [R.] I am at the end of my tell. Walpole.
11. 11.A hill or mound. W. M. Thomson.

Source: Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).

Synonyms

Related questions

• What does "tell" mean?
• What is another word for "tell"?

Reverse-dictionary questions

Definition-first questions whose answer is tell.

• What is tell the joints of the body. Jer. Taylor called?
• What is 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 called?
• What is to make known; to publish; to disclose; to divulge. Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife Gen. xii called?
• What is 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 called?
• What is to order; to request; to command. He told her not to be frightened. Dickens called?
• What is 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 called?
• What is 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 called?
• What is that which is told; tale; account. [R.] I am at the end of my tell. Walpole called?