tell of
phrasal verb
told of; telling of; tells of
formal + literary
1
: to be evidence of (something) : to indicate
Her smile told of her good news.
His rough hands tell of a hard life.
2
: to describe (something) : to make the details of (something) known
The article tells of her Arctic journey.
3
: to talk to (someone) about (something)
He told us of his plans to move to the city.
Examples of tell of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An example from the 12th-century English compendium of animal lore, the Aberdeen Bestiary, tells of bears coating sores with mullein.
—
Adrienne Mayor, Discover Magazine, 28 May 2024
In the show, the Captain is immediately revealed to be writing his confession, which tells of his journey from Vietnam to Los Angeles, and what ultimately led to him being captured.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 27 May 2024
Advertisement Newsom’s decision to lean on a grassroots organization headquartered 2,400 miles from Sacramento is telling of the political power of suburban women — and the governor’s gaze beyond California.
—Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
When told of Costa’s criminal background and pending trial by the Miami Herald, White De Leon said in a statement the association has launched an internal investigation.
—Rebecca San Juan, Miami Herald, 23 May 2024
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Family of mentally ill man wants answers about his death in Tarrant County Jail custody
May 18, 2024 3:05 PM
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What can video tell of Tarrant County inmate’s death?
—Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 May 2024
Set in a massage parlor, staffed with Chinese immigrants, in Queens, New York, the melodramatic film tells of how the romantic relationship between a man and a woman is disrupted by a sudden disappearance.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 May 2024
For instance, after Rania told of what had happened to her, Dr. Abdelrahman helped put her in touch with other survivors who had organized intensive counseling.
—Violet Ikong, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 May 2024
Scott Baldauf, a Monitor writer who worked with him on many occasions, tells of a visit to a warlord of Mr. Zadran’s own tribe.
—Mark Sappenfield, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 May 2024
Adrienne Mayor, Discover Magazine, 28 May 2024
In the show, the Captain is immediately revealed to be writing his confession, which tells of his journey from Vietnam to Los Angeles, and what ultimately led to him being captured.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 27 May 2024
Advertisement Newsom’s decision to lean on a grassroots organization headquartered 2,400 miles from Sacramento is telling of the political power of suburban women — and the governor’s gaze beyond California.
—Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
When told of Costa’s criminal background and pending trial by the Miami Herald, White De Leon said in a statement the association has launched an internal investigation.
—Rebecca San Juan, Miami Herald, 23 May 2024
Follow more of our reporting on Tarrant County jail deaths: Latest
Fort Worth
Family of mentally ill man wants answers about his death in Tarrant County Jail custody
May 18, 2024 3:05 PM
Fort Worth
What can video tell of Tarrant County inmate’s death?
—Cody Copeland, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 May 2024
Set in a massage parlor, staffed with Chinese immigrants, in Queens, New York, the melodramatic film tells of how the romantic relationship between a man and a woman is disrupted by a sudden disappearance.
—Patrick Frater, Variety, 19 May 2024
For instance, after Rania told of what had happened to her, Dr. Abdelrahman helped put her in touch with other survivors who had organized intensive counseling.
—Violet Ikong, The Christian Science Monitor, 9 May 2024
Scott Baldauf, a Monitor writer who worked with him on many occasions, tells of a visit to a warlord of Mr. Zadran’s own tribe.
—Mark Sappenfield, The Christian Science Monitor, 10 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tell of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tell of
Cite this Entry
“Tell of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20of. Accessed 8 Jun. 2024.
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