tell a different story

idiom

: to show that something different is true from what someone says is true
He said he wasn't at the scene of the crime, but the fingerprints tell a different story.

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But residents and local leaders in both cities tell a different story, describing communities paralyzed with fear and worried they could be swept up in the immigration operations. Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 8 Dec. 2025 But the numbers tell a different story. Lisa Femia, Mercury News, 6 Dec. 2025 But growing subreddits like r/quitting7oh tell a different story. David Hudnall, Kansas City Star, 3 Dec. 2025 Cease's advanced metrics tell a different story than his ERA a well. Patrick McAvoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tell a different story

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“Tell a different story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20a%20different%20story. Accessed 20 Dec. 2025.

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