definition
(archaic outside of idioms) To count, reckon, or enumerate.
example
All told, there were over a dozen. Can you tell time on a clock? He had untold wealth.
definition
To narrate.
example
I want to tell a story; I want to tell you a story.
definition
To convey by speech; to say.
example
Finally, someone told him the truth. He seems to like to tell lies.
definition
To instruct or inform.
example
Please tell me how to do it.
definition
To order; to direct, to say to someone.
example
Tell him to go away.
definition
To discern, notice, identify or distinguish.
example
Can you tell whether those flowers are real or silk, from this distance? No, there's no way to tell.
definition
To reveal.
example
Time will tell what became of him.
definition
To be revealed.
definition
To have an effect, especially a noticeable one; to be apparent, to be demonstrated.
example
Sir Gerald was moving slower; his wounds were beginning to tell.
definition
To use (beads or similar objects) as an aid to prayer.
definition
To inform someone in authority about a wrongdoing.
example
I saw you steal those sweets! I'm going to tell!
definition
(authorship) To reveal information in prose through outright expository statement -- contrasted with show
example
Maria rewrote the section of her novel that talked about Meg and Sage's friendship to have less telling and more showing.