tell on
phrasal verb
told on; telling on; tells on
1
informal
: to tell someone in authority about the bad behavior or actions of (someone else)
Please don't tell on me.
2
: to have a noticeable effect on (someone or something)
The stress began to tell on her face/health.
Examples of tell on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In the years since her death, Wuornos's story has been told on the screen several times, most famously in the 2003 film Monster.
—
Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Needless to say, that story has been told on his official releases of the era, from Bob Dylan to Another Side of Bob Dylan and Bringing It All Back Home and beyond.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2025
The expense will be funded using excess revenue from 2023, commissioners were told on Thursday.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2025
Carrasco said Gilbert prosecutors were told on July 30 that the County Attorney's Office was going to surrender to Doran's argument that the breath test results should be excluded as evidence since Pennington admitted to drinking.
—Elena Santa Cruz, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell on
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Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 30 Oct. 2025
Needless to say, that story has been told on his official releases of the era, from Bob Dylan to Another Side of Bob Dylan and Bringing It All Back Home and beyond.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 26 Oct. 2025
The expense will be funded using excess revenue from 2023, commissioners were told on Thursday.
—Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2025
Carrasco said Gilbert prosecutors were told on July 30 that the County Attorney's Office was going to surrender to Doran's argument that the breath test results should be excluded as evidence since Pennington admitted to drinking.
—Elena Santa Cruz, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell on
Cite this Entry
“Tell on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20on. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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