Synonyms for tell
tɛltell

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. tell

   To announce is to give intelligence of in some formal or public way. We may announce that which has occurred or that which is to occur, tho the word is chiefly used in the anticipative sense; we announce a book when it is in press, a guest when he arrives. We advertise our business, communicate our intentions, enunciate our views; we notify an individual, give notice to the public. Declare has often an authoritative force; to declare war is to cause war to be, where before there may have been only hostilities; we say declare war, proclaim peace. We propound a question or an argument, promulgate the views of a sect or party, or the decision of a court, etc. We report an interview, reveal a secret, herald the coming of some distinguished person or great event. Publish, in popular usage, is becoming closely restricted to the sense of issuing through the press; we announce a book that is to be published.

   Synonyms:
   advertise, announce, circulate, communicate, declare, enunciate, give notice (of), give out, herald, make known, notify, proclaim, promulgate, propound, publish, report, reveal, say, spread abroad, state

   Antonyms:
   bury, conceal, cover (up), hide, hush, keep back, keep secret, secrete, suppress, withhold

   Preposition:
   The event was announced to the family by telegraph.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:2.0 / 3 votes

1. tell

   Synonyms:
   mention, number, enumerate, count, recount, utter, recite, state, narrate, disclose, publish, betray, divulge, promulgate, acquaint, teach, inform, explain, communicate, report, rehearse, discern, judge, discriminate, ascertain, decide, describe

   Antonyms:
   repress, suppress, misrecount, misnarrate, miscommunicate, misdeclare, misrecite, misjudge, misdescribe

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Tell, William Tellverb

   a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer; according to legend an Austrian governor compelled him to shoot an apple from his son's head with his crossbow (which he did successfully without mishap)

2. state, say, tellverb

   express in words

   "He said that he wanted to marry her"; "tell me what is bothering you"; "state your opinion"; "state your name"

   Synonyms:
   enunciate, express, sound out, aver, recite, enounce, distinguish, recount, secern, state, say, narrate, evidence, suppose, submit, articulate, assure, put forward, posit, severalise, separate, pronounce, enjoin, severalize, secernate, allege, read, tell apart, differentiate, order

3. tellverb

   let something be known

   "Tell them that you will be late"

   Synonyms:
   distinguish, recite, differentiate, say, recount, state, narrate, evidence, assure, severalise, enjoin, severalize, secernate, secern, tell apart, separate, order

4. tell, narrate, recount, reciteverb

   narrate or give a detailed account of

   "Tell what happened"; "The father told a story to his child"

   Synonyms:
   distinguish, recite, itemise, differentiate, say, recount, state, narrate, evidence, retell, assure, itemize, severalise, declaim, enjoin, severalize, secernate, secern, tell apart, separate, order, enumerate

5. order, tell, enjoin, sayverb

   give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority

   "I said to him to go home"; "She ordered him to do the shopping"; "The mother told the child to get dressed"

   Synonyms:
   tell apart, distinguish, dictate, suppose, place, ordain, put, differentiate, read, pronounce, range, enjoin, enounce, enunciate, evidence, regulate, state, assure, say, govern, severalize, arrange, separate, regularize, severalise, ordinate, regularise, grade, aver, articulate, secern, set up, allege, rank, consecrate, rate, recite, narrate, recount, sound out, prescribe, order, secernate

6. tellverb

   discern or comprehend

   "He could tell that she was unhappy"

   Synonyms:
   distinguish, recite, differentiate, say, recount, state, narrate, evidence, assure, severalise, enjoin, severalize, secernate, secern, tell apart, separate, order

7. assure, tellverb

   inform positively and with certainty and confidence

   "I tell you that man is a crook!"

   Synonyms:
   tell apart, ensure, reassure, state, say, severalize, recount, control, narrate, promise, enjoin, check, guarantee, secern, differentiate, severalise, separate, recite, ascertain, assure, secernate, see to it, distinguish, insure, order, evidence, secure, see

8. tell, evidenceverb

   give evidence

   "he was telling on all his former colleague"

   Synonyms:
   distinguish, demonstrate, recite, certify, differentiate, testify, say, recount, prove, state, bear witness, narrate, evidence, assure, severalise, enjoin, severalize, secernate, secern, tell apart, separate, order, manifest, show, attest

9. distinguish, separate, differentiate, secern, secernate, severalize, severalise, tell, tell apartverb

   mark as different

   "We distinguish several kinds of maple"

   Synonyms:
   tell apart, distinguish, classify, discriminate, spot, mark, differentiate, sort, signalise, enjoin, split up, key out, evidence, break up, divide, come apart, single out, part, state, pick out, order, carve up, key, severalize, split, assure, speciate, separate, fall apart, severalise, furcate, dissever, signalize, assort, specialize, recount, class, identify, make out, specialise, branch, discern, secern, recognize, recite, name, disunite, recognise, narrate, describe, break, sort out, ramify, fork, discover, secernate, say

Matched Categories

1. • Affirm
   • Express
   • Guess
   • Identify
   • Inform
   • Request

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. tellverb

   Synonyms:
   express, utter, speak, state, mention, communicate, publish, speak of, make mention of

2. tellverb

   Synonyms:
   relate, recount, rehearse, narrate, describe, report, give an account of

3. tellverb

   Synonyms:
   inform, teach, instruct, acquaint, apprise, make known to, explain to, disclose to, communicate to, make known to

4. tellverb

   Synonyms:
   disclose, reveal, divulge, confess, betray, acknowledge, own, declare, make known

5. tellverb

   Synonyms:
   number, count, enumerate, compute, reckon, take an account of, run over, sum up, call over

6. tellverb

   Synonyms:
   discern, discover, make out, distinguish

7. tellverb

   Synonyms:
   give account, make report

8. tellverb

   Synonyms:
   take effect, be effective, hit the nail on the head

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. tellverb

   Synonyms:
   mention, recount, relate, narrate, enumerate, advise, inform, recite, disclose, bruit, divulge, proclaim, expose, apprise, peach, communicate, acquaint, notify, reveal, discern

   Antonyms:
   suppress, reserve, withhold, forbear

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "tell":

   say, mean, teii, saying, dis, inform, telling, said, know, explain, talk, announce, this, speak, told

Suggested Resources

1. TELL

   What does TELL stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the TELL acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

How to pronounce tell?

How to say tell in sign language?

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use tell in a sentence?

1. John Krasinski:

   I think this set of circumstances and the fact that people are living through exactly what this family lived through, it's kind of a world you can explore and re-explore and re-explore, so I think there's so many more stories to tell in that world that I got excited.

2. Teryl Austin:

   Because I think I’ve had 11, I can tell when one was just an (expletive) interview and I could tell when I was really in it, and so to me, that’s kind of worth it.

3. Muhammad Musallam:

   I tell my father and my son: Repent to God. I say to the spies who spy on Islamic State: You will not be successful, they will expose you.

4. Patricia Newman:

   I hope it's more than just for history, if they get off, I can't tell you how worried I am about 2024.

5. Ben DeJong:

   Six inches does not sound like much, but when you're in a landscape like the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge, that's a lot of sea level rise, i have worked alongside private land owners who have had family farms in the area for years and they are the first to tell you they are losing land.