English Dictionary

Definition of “telling”

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telling (ˈtɛlɪŋPronunciation for telling) 

Definitions

adjective

  1. having a marked effect or impact  ⇒ a telling blow 
  2. revealing  ⇒ a telling smile 

Alternative Forms

ˈtellingly adverb

1tell1 (tɛlPronunciation for tell1) 

Definitions

verb

Word forms: tells, telling, told
  1. (when tr, may take a clause as object) to let know or notify  ⇒ he told me that he would go 
  2. (tr) to order or instruct (someone to do something)  ⇒ I told her to send the letter airmail 
  3. intr, usually foll by of to give an account or narration (of something)  ⇒ she told me her troubles 
  4. (tr) to communicate by words; utter  ⇒ to tell the truth 
  5. (tr) to make known; disclose  ⇒ to tell fortunes 
  6. (intr) of to serve as an indication  ⇒ her blush told of her embarrassment 
  7. (tr; used with can, etc; may take a clause as object) to comprehend, discover, or discern  ⇒ I can tell what is wrong 
  8. (tr; used with can, etc) to distinguish or discriminate  ⇒ he couldn't tell chalk from cheese 
  9. (intr) to have or produce an impact, effect, or strain  ⇒ every step told on his bruised feet 
  10. (intr) on informal to reveal secrets or gossip (about)  ⇒ don't tell! she told on him 
  11. (tr) to assure  ⇒ I tell you, I've had enough! 
  12. (tr) to count (votes)
  13. (intr) dialect to talk or chatter
  14. informal mainly US to tell the truth no matter how unpleasant it is
  15. See tell the time
  16. See you're telling me

See also

tell apart , tell off

Alternative Forms

ˈtellable adjective

Word Origin

Old English tellan;  related to Old Saxon tellian,  Old High German zellen  to tell, count, Old Norse telja

Synonyms

View thesaurus entry
= inform, notify, make aware say to state to warn, reveal to express to brief, advise, disclose to proclaim to fill in, speak about to confess to impart, alert to divulge, announce to acquaint with communicate to mention to make known to apprise, utter to get off your chest let know flag up,
= describe, relate, recount, report, portray, depict, chronicle, rehearse, narrate, give an account of
= instruct, order, command, direct, bid, enjoin,
= see, make out, discern, understand, discover, be certain comprehend,
= distinguish, discriminate, discern, differentiate, identify,
= talk, tell tales, spill the beans, give the game away, blab, let the cat out of the bag,
= reveal, show, indicate, disclose, signify, be evidence of
= have or take effect register, weigh, have force count, take its toll carry weight make its presence felt
= assure, promise, guarantee, swear, give someone your word
= count, reckon, calculate, compute, tally, number, enumerate,

Usage examples

  • In his present mood, the Fat Man seemed to believe that telling Bowler anything was like ringing up the tabloids.
    Anthony Masters, CASCADES - THE DAY OF THE DEAD (2001)
  • He was keen to leave the trough where it was, but cross compliance rules seemed to be telling him otherwise.
    Country Life (2005)
  • "We tend to place a lot more emphasis on what the individual companies are telling us," he says.
    Irish Times (2002)
  • Most of all, the engine had a telling effect on the firemen.
    Glasgow Herald (2001)
  • If they were talking and telling vulgar stories as I walked by, they would go on talking.
    Peter FitzSimons, NANCY WAKE (2002)

Commonness

All English words that begin with 'T'

Related Terms

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