pray tell
idiom
old-fashioned
—used for emphasis to demand an answer when asking someone for a reason, explanation, etc.
Why should I trust them, pray tell?
What were you doing, pray tell?
Examples of pray tell in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
And why, pray tell, did Stanford not tell Anthony directly?
—
Nick Romano, EW.com, 17 Aug. 2023
Who, pray tell, were John Heminges and Henry Condell?
—John Anderson, WSJ, 14 Nov. 2023
Nick Romano, EW.com, 17 Aug. 2023
Who, pray tell, were John Heminges and Henry Condell?
—John Anderson, WSJ, 14 Nov. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pray tell.' 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 pray tell
Cite this Entry
“Pray tell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pray%20tell. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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