tell the time
idiom
British
: to be able to know what time it is by looking at a clock
My son is just learning to tell the time.
Examples of tell the time in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This spirit of elegant, everyday adornment stands in sharp contrast to the Y2K era of crop tops and low-rise jeans, Wallner says, when people actually needed something to tell the time, and therefore gravitated towards eye-popping, in-your-face, men’s styles.
—
Talia Abbas, Vogue, 29 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, most people tell the time by looking at their phones.
—Rosa Rahimi, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2025
This creates the illusion that the mirror on the front can tell the time.
—PCMAG, 12 Feb. 2025
Our electric servants do our laundry, wash our dishes, heat our homes, preserve and cook our food, and tell the time.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2025
For decades, the UK, like almost every other country, has relied on global navigation satellite systems—signals from satellites orbiting in space—to tell the time accurately.
—William Ralston, WIRED, 25 Aug. 2022
Rolex’s newest release doesn’t tell the time, sit neatly on the wrist, or do anything else a good watch is supposed to.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2024
As day becomes night, the light shifts, capturing the dance of smoke in the air while the thap casts shadows that tell the time.
—Smitha Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Apr. 2023
When the show is over, the butterflies return to tell the time quietly again.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2024
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Talia Abbas, Vogue, 29 Apr. 2025
Meanwhile, most people tell the time by looking at their phones.
—Rosa Rahimi, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2025
This creates the illusion that the mirror on the front can tell the time.
—PCMAG, 12 Feb. 2025
Our electric servants do our laundry, wash our dishes, heat our homes, preserve and cook our food, and tell the time.
—U T Readers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2025
For decades, the UK, like almost every other country, has relied on global navigation satellite systems—signals from satellites orbiting in space—to tell the time accurately.
—William Ralston, WIRED, 25 Aug. 2022
Rolex’s newest release doesn’t tell the time, sit neatly on the wrist, or do anything else a good watch is supposed to.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 13 Sep. 2024
As day becomes night, the light shifts, capturing the dance of smoke in the air while the thap casts shadows that tell the time.
—Smitha Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 Apr. 2023
When the show is over, the butterflies return to tell the time quietly again.
—Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 15 Apr. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Tell the time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20the%20time. Accessed 17 May. 2025.
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