Tell Meaning and Definition from WordNet (r) 2.0

Tell n : 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) [syn: William Tell] v
1. express in words; "He said that he wanted to marry her"; "tell me what is bothering you"; "state your opinion"; "state your name" [syn: state, say]
2. let something be known; "Tell them that you will be late"
3. narrate or give a detailed account of; "Tell what happened"; "The father told a story to his child" [syn: narrate, recount, recite]
4. 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" [syn: order, enjoin, say]
5. discern or comprehend; "He could tell that she was unhappy"
6. inform positively and with certainty and confidence; "I tell you that man is a crook!" [syn: assure]
7. give evidence; "he was telling on all his former colleague" [syn: evidence]
8. mark as different; "We distinguish several kinds of maple" [syn: distinguish, separate, differentiate, secern, secernate, severalize, severalise, tell apart]

Tell Meaning and Definition from Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Tell \Tell\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Told; p. pr. & vb. n. Telling.] [AS. tellan, from talu tale, number, speech; akin to D. tellen to count, G. z["a]hlen, OHG. zellen to count, tell, say, Icel. telja, Dan. tale to speak, t[ae]lle to count. See Tale that which is told.]

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* Do you want me to tell you something really subversive Love is everything it's cracked up to be. That's why people are so cynical about it. . . . It really is worth fighting for, being brave for, risking everything for. And the trouble is, if you don't risk anything, you risk even more. - Lee Iacocca

* An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows. - Dwight D Eisenhower

* Swindon What will history say Burgoyne History, sir, will tell lies as usual. - George Bernard Shaw


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