1
as in story
a rumor or report of a personal or sensational nature
don't believe the tales you hear about our neighbor's kid
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2
as in anecdote
a brief account of something interesting that happened especially to one personally
asked Dad to tell once again the tale of how, as a kid, he broke his arm jumping out of a tree
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in lie
a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive
told tall tales in an attempt to impress me with her supposedly upper-crust background
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in novella
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel
the oft-told tale of Sleeping Beauty
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tale
Carol Channing reduced Shalit to tears of laughter with her tale of a London dinner party with Lady Astor and Sir Benjamin Harrison by imitating the latter.
—
Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2026
The best in the genre are morality tales that deftly mine their themes without getting too heavy-handed, exploring the intricacies of human nature.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
Or a bop, or a folk tale, or a battle cry, or a 10-minute coming of age song about a scarf.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 12 June 2026
In any case, Hoyt plans to expand her tale and continue researching the story.
—Dan Kelly
june 12, Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tale
Chris Koseluk, HollywoodReporter, 12 June 2026
The best in the genre are morality tales that deftly mine their themes without getting too heavy-handed, exploring the intricacies of human nature.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 12 June 2026
Or a bop, or a folk tale, or a battle cry, or a 10-minute coming of age song about a scarf.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 12 June 2026
In any case, Hoyt plans to expand her tale and continue researching the story.
—Dan Kelly
june 12, Kansas City Star, 12 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tale
Noun
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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.—
Ingrid Vasquez,
PEOPLE,
12 Dec. 2025
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Midfielder The back story This is the son of former Rotherham United, Chesterfield, Nottingham Forest and Wigan Athletic defender Ian Breckin, who was nicknamed ‘Breckinbauer’ by fans after the Bayern Munich and Germany international Franz Beckenbauer and is still in the game these days as a scout.—
Rob Tanner,
New York Times,
12 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Undoubtedly one of the toughest courses in the world, Shinnecock is a par-70 links-style course with uneven lies, deep rough along the fairway with random fescue, elevation changes and brutally difficult greens.—
Geoff Clark OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
15 June 2026
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Citizens become commodities; technology increases the power of an already powerful few; pop culture serves up mechanized slop; truth and lies commingle.—
Alex Ross,
New Yorker,
15 June 2026
Noun
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The Norwegian writer Vigdis Hjorth creates a whole world in very few pages in this novella-length work in which even the pacing of the narrative itself does so much of the storytelling.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
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In this inventive, boundary-pushing follow-up to Detransition, Baby, one novella and three stories take on gender, transness and lives on the margins in all of their gorgeously complicated glory.—
Caroline Killilea,
PEOPLE,
10 June 2026
Noun
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In November 2023, Charlie Adelson was found guilty of multiple counts, including first-degree murder, and is currently serving a life sentence in South Dakota.—
Jeff Burlew,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
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The jury found Oliver not guilty, but Newkirk initially announced a guilty verdict on all six counts.—
Natalie Neysa Alund,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Look for alcohol-free, subtle formulas the goal is a whisper of fragrance, not a perfume cloud that announces itself from across the room.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Miami Herald,
10 June 2026
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In biergartens, servers carry trays where alcohol‑free helles — a traditional pale lager — sits shoulder‑to‑shoulder with the classic stuff, no longer ordered with a whisper or judgment.—
David Dickstein,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
Noun
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The story continued to be cited and pictured as an exemplar of Roman charity, but the fable couldn’t have taken root if the idea of Cimon’s long sentence hadn’t resonated with an ancient audience.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
8 Dec. 2025
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For someone like me who loves both science and silliness, this playful, surreal fable was a glorious read.—
Brianne Kane,
Scientific American,
4 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Most of this year’s total tally erosion traces to a single category.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
12 June 2026
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McCartney fails to lead the Official Album Downloads tally, where he's beaten by Boards of Canada.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Noun
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Recently, test score of nearby schools have exceeded those of Locke, even though Locke’s scores, too, have risen.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
17 June 2026
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Caitlin Clark put on a clinic Tuesday night, leading the Indiana Fever to a dominant 113-91 win over the Toronto Tempo -- a franchise so new that half the audience was probably doing a double take when the score appeared.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tale. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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