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
The verse tells of how a spurned lover spread rumors that his old flame, a woman named Francouneto, was a witch.
—
Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2023
Between midnight and 3:30 a.m., Ernst and Sullivan told of valor and bravery by dozens of military professionals.
—Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023
Dugan said in her complaint that she was first told of the claim during an Academy Board Meeting in 2019, before her official start as CEO, when the Recording Academy Board was mulling giving Portnow a bonus for his past work with the Academy.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2023
And still others tell of eating buttered saltines with soups and salads, using the crackers as the bread of the day.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 4 Nov. 2023
In 1953, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, a blockbuster adaptation of a Ray Bradbury short story, told of an Arctic dinosaur awakened by nuclear testing, and its subsequent reign of havoc in New York.
—Asher Elbein, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2023
Recommended 4 The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
This atmospheric novel, set in 1920s Malaysia, tells of a famous author bent on uncovering secrets for storytelling fodder.
—Monitor Contributors, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Oct. 2023
The towels’ waffle knit texture feels so comforting on the skin, and their heft is soothing in a weighted blanket kind of way, which is telling of their quality.
—Kayla Blanton, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023
Contacted at her home in Fujian province, the older sister of the 18-year-old deckhand was told of his plea for help.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
See More
Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 25 Nov. 2023
Between midnight and 3:30 a.m., Ernst and Sullivan told of valor and bravery by dozens of military professionals.
—Allison Pecorin, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023
Dugan said in her complaint that she was first told of the claim during an Academy Board Meeting in 2019, before her official start as CEO, when the Recording Academy Board was mulling giving Portnow a bonus for his past work with the Academy.
—Ethan Millman, Rolling Stone, 8 Nov. 2023
And still others tell of eating buttered saltines with soups and salads, using the crackers as the bread of the day.
—Sheri Castle, Southern Living, 4 Nov. 2023
In 1953, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, a blockbuster adaptation of a Ray Bradbury short story, told of an Arctic dinosaur awakened by nuclear testing, and its subsequent reign of havoc in New York.
—Asher Elbein, Scientific American, 3 Nov. 2023
Recommended 4 The House of Doors by Tan Twan Eng
This atmospheric novel, set in 1920s Malaysia, tells of a famous author bent on uncovering secrets for storytelling fodder.
—Monitor Contributors, The Christian Science Monitor, 24 Oct. 2023
The towels’ waffle knit texture feels so comforting on the skin, and their heft is soothing in a weighted blanket kind of way, which is telling of their quality.
—Kayla Blanton, Peoplemag, 15 Nov. 2023
Contacted at her home in Fujian province, the older sister of the 18-year-old deckhand was told of his plea for help.
—Los Angeles Times, 7 Nov. 2023
See More
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 7 Dec. 2023.
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