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   tell

   /tɛl/

   verb

   • 1. communicate information to someone in spoken or written words: "I told her you were coming" Similar informlet knownotifyapprisemake awaremention something toacquaint withadviseput in the picturebrieffill inbreak the news toalertwarnforewarninformal:clue inspeakuttersayvoicestatedeclarecommunicatemake knownimpartdivulgeannounceproclaimbroadcastrelaterecountnarrategive an account ofset forthunfoldretailreportchroniclereciterehearsedescribeportraysketchdelineatedepictpaintweavespin
   • ▪ order or advise someone to do something: "tell him to go away" Similar instructordergive orderscommanddirectchargeenjoincall onrequireliterary:bid
   • ▪ relate (a story): "he tried to make the children laugh by telling jokes"
   • ▪ reveal (information) to someone in a non-verbal way: "the figures tell a different story" Similar revealshowbe/give evidence ofdiscloseindicateconveysignifydisplayexhibit
   • ▪ divulge confidential or private information: "promise you won't tell" Similar give the game awaytalktell talesopen one's mouthtattleinformal:spill the beanslet the cat out of the bagblabblow the gaffOpposite keep a secret
   • 2. decide or determine correctly or with certainty: "you can tell they're in love" Similar ascertaindecidedeterminework outmake outdeducediscernperceiveseeidentifyrecognizeunderstandcomprehendbe surebe certaininformal:figure outget a fix onsuss out
   • ▪ perceive (the difference between one person or thing and another): "I can't tell the difference between margarine and butter" Similar distinguishdifferentiatetell apartdiscriminate
   • 3. count (the members of a group): archaic "the shepherd had told all his sheep"

   noun

   • 1. (especially in poker) an unconscious action that is thought to betray an attempted deception.

   Word Origin Old Englishtellan ‘relate, count, estimate’, of Germanic origin; related to German zählen ‘reckon, count’, erzählen ‘recount, relate’, also to tale.

   Derivatives

   • 1. tellable adjective

   Scrabble Points: 4

   • T

     1

   • E

     1

   • L

     1

   • L

     1

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