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
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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
The show, which ran for seven seasons from 1985 to 1992, told the comical tale of four single women living together in Miami.
—
Ashley Hume , Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Europe is a cautionary tale, not one the US should emulate or ignore.
—David Doty, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
This might have been an attempt to go after a nature-of-storytelling tale like The Princess Bride, but the two leads have zero chemistry and Reiner’s execution is clunky and disinterested.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2025
Ledford is a songwriter to watch, spinning urgent, gripping tales of life’s ups and downs in the midst of a wildly colorful and psychedelic musical universe.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tale
Ashley Hume , Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 14 Sep. 2025
Europe is a cautionary tale, not one the US should emulate or ignore.
—David Doty, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025
This might have been an attempt to go after a nature-of-storytelling tale like The Princess Bride, but the two leads have zero chemistry and Reiner’s execution is clunky and disinterested.
—Will Leitch, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2025
Ledford is a songwriter to watch, spinning urgent, gripping tales of life’s ups and downs in the midst of a wildly colorful and psychedelic musical universe.
—Jim Harrington, Mercury News, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tale
Noun
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As a recent ProPublica story revealed, the promises of the H-2A visa program can be undermined by extreme abuses the workers suffer, mostly by labor contractors.—
Max Blau,
ProPublica,
16 Sep. 2025
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The dream drive package includes private transfer to The Barn, Napa Valley Car Club's exclusive clubhouse, post-drive drinks and stories and return transfer.—
Michael Goldstein,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Among the most persistent examples of those divisions are the lies and misinformation about elections that have spread for years through online social channels.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Troll farms, bots, and foreign actors manipulated social platforms to spread lies, sow division, and undermine democratic elections.—
Jeremy H. Gottschalk,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
One of the authors that Covici brought along with him to Viking was a young writer named John Steinbeck; his company had published Steinbeck’s novellas Tortilla Flat in 1935 and Of Mice and Men in 1937.—
Paul Slovak
September 16,
Literary Hub,
16 Sep. 2025
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The novella was released in 1982, three years after the release of The Long Walk novel.—
Tim Lammers,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The defendant is now charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder and faces life in prison if convicted.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
That’s three plums lined up like weary soldiers at reveille by my count.—
David Weiss,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The result was a ghostly, otherworldly sound that could shift from whispers to booming calls depending on the breath.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
14 Sep. 2025
-
The results cast doubt on whether the plumes truly carry whispers of alien life, or merely echoes of lifeless chemistry on the frozen shell.—
Sharmila Kuthunur,
Space.com,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Lawrence is sparing in his style, the image desaturated like a vintage photograph, locating this fable in an unspecified future and past.—
Katie Walsh,
Boston Herald,
11 Sep. 2025
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The Last Viking, the latest collaboration between Danish writer-director Anders Thomas Jensen and his longtime muses Mads Mikkelsen and Nikolaj Lie Kaas, is a wild, darkly comic fable about brotherhood, identity and the limits of sanity.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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As Man’s Best Friend gets off to a fantastic start, two of Carpenter’s previous full-lengths either rise across multiple rosters or bounce back onto several tallies.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
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Penalties on penalties on penalties, gracious hosts, UCLA’s 13 flags Friday gifted the Lobos 116 yards – running the season’s tally to 30 penalties for 275 yards.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Just a reminder the score was 48-21 when Harbaugh told his kicker to chill.—
Jay Paris,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
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Their score doesn’t measure their ability.—
Sixteen Ramos,
USA Today,
10 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tale. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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