tattler
noun
tat·tler
ˈta-tᵊl-ər 
ˈtat-lər
1
2
: any of various slender long-legged shorebirds (such as the willet, yellowlegs, and redshank) of the sandpiper family with a loud and frequent call
Examples of tattler in a Sentence
as the office's resident tattler, she can be counted on to report any unauthorized use of the photocopiers
Recent Examples on the Web
Wandering tattlers, the ruddy turnstone and a variety of other summer migrants will be found on our local beaches.
—
Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2025
Tattling to the Bachelor doesn’t always go well for the tattler.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Mortimer Zuckerman, the owner, hired him to replace a British editor who had turned it from a brash, tough-guy paper into a tattler of celebrity gossip and supermarket tabloid stunts.
—Robert D. McFadden, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Aug. 2020
Being a tattler or someone who is too focused on the drama rarely works out, largely because those dudes are more focused on screen time than the lead.
—Martha Sorren, refinery29.com, 20 June 2019
There are social repercussions for kids who develop a reputation as tattlers: they get left out.
—K. Lori Hanson Ph.d., miamiherald, 8 Mar. 2018
Dwight and Eugene remain at an ideological impasse, but Eugene is too busy waffling between his morality and his desire to stay alive to actually pick a side—and for reasons unknown, Dwight hasn’t found a way to simply ax the potential tattler.
—Laura Bradley, HWD, 3 Dec. 2017
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Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2025
Tattling to the Bachelor doesn’t always go well for the tattler.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Mortimer Zuckerman, the owner, hired him to replace a British editor who had turned it from a brash, tough-guy paper into a tattler of celebrity gossip and supermarket tabloid stunts.
—Robert D. McFadden, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Aug. 2020
Being a tattler or someone who is too focused on the drama rarely works out, largely because those dudes are more focused on screen time than the lead.
—Martha Sorren, refinery29.com, 20 June 2019
There are social repercussions for kids who develop a reputation as tattlers: they get left out.
—K. Lori Hanson Ph.d., miamiherald, 8 Mar. 2018
Dwight and Eugene remain at an ideological impasse, but Eugene is too busy waffling between his morality and his desire to stay alive to actually pick a side—and for reasons unknown, Dwight hasn’t found a way to simply ax the potential tattler.
—Laura Bradley, HWD, 3 Dec. 2017
Cite this Entry
“Tattler.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tattler. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
tattler
noun
tat·tler
ˈtat-lər
-ᵊl-ər
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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