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
When told of the gender gap in competition, women were more likely to want to compete for pay rather than receive a flat rate.
—
Kim Elsesser, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Files in the new release include a memo from the Central Intelligence Agency's St. Petersburg station from November 1991 saying that earlier that month, a CIA official befriended a U.S. professor there who told of a friend who worked for the KGB.
—arkansasonline.com, 20 Mar. 2025
Oprah’s and Whoopi’s misadventure — flaunting their wealth and fame, using both as racial intimidation — tells of more than just rogue celebrity.
—Armond White, National Review, 7 Mar. 2025
Their sole plausible successor, J.J.’s son, John, died suddenly at age 53 in 1962, a year ahead of his senescent father, who was never told of his death.
—Frank Rich, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell of
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Kim Elsesser, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Files in the new release include a memo from the Central Intelligence Agency's St. Petersburg station from November 1991 saying that earlier that month, a CIA official befriended a U.S. professor there who told of a friend who worked for the KGB.
—arkansasonline.com, 20 Mar. 2025
Oprah’s and Whoopi’s misadventure — flaunting their wealth and fame, using both as racial intimidation — tells of more than just rogue celebrity.
—Armond White, National Review, 7 Mar. 2025
Their sole plausible successor, J.J.’s son, John, died suddenly at age 53 in 1962, a year ahead of his senescent father, who was never told of his death.
—Frank Rich, Vulture, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell of
Cite this Entry
“Tell of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20of. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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