: a written account (such as a biography) that contains revealing and often scandalous information
tell-all
adjective
Examples of tell-all in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Lyons, who wore Levi’s jeans to the Bravo tell-all, asked while speaking with PEOPLE
Jenna Lyons and her Levi’s have become quite the phenomenon since the former J.Crew executive arrived at The Real Housewives of New York City reunion clad in jeans — a rarity, but not a first, in the Bravo-verse.
—
Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
Before the premiere of Season 5, which depicted Diana’s 1995 tell-all interview with BBC News reporter Martin Bashir and other painful scandals from the ’90s, monarchist allies including Judi Dench pushed Netflix to add a disclaimer to the series.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023
Weeks later, Jordyn shared her side of the story in a tell-all interview, claiming that Tristan kissed her at an afterparty at his house on Feb. 17.
—Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023
According to an unauthorized biography of Mohamed, the entrepreneur went out of his way to befriend Diana, whose turbulent personal life, from her marital separation in 1992 to her tell-all interview with the BBC in 1995, provided nonstop tabloid fodder.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Nov. 2023
The comments made in the audio recordings match some of the information disclosed in the tell-all book Mary Trump published in 2020, Too Much and Never Enough.
—Ana Faguy, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
While Barry publicly supported her brother, she was captured criticizing him in audio recorded by her niece, Mary L. Trump, the daughter of Fred Trump Jr. who published a tell-all memoir about her family, including her uncle, in 2020.
—Allison Elyse Gualtieri, CBS News, 13 Nov. 2023
The pop star’s new tell-all memoir, The Woman in Me, sold 1.1 copies in its first week of release, according to the Associated Press.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2023
Prosecutors told a grand jury that Davis implicated himself in the killing in multiple interviews and a 2019 tell-all memoir that described his life leading a Crips sect in Compton.
—CBS News, 2 Nov. 2023
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Michelle Lee, Peoplemag, 23 Nov. 2023
Before the premiere of Season 5, which depicted Diana’s 1995 tell-all interview with BBC News reporter Martin Bashir and other painful scandals from the ’90s, monarchist allies including Judi Dench pushed Netflix to add a disclaimer to the series.
—Meredith Blake, Los Angeles Times, 16 Nov. 2023
Weeks later, Jordyn shared her side of the story in a tell-all interview, claiming that Tristan kissed her at an afterparty at his house on Feb. 17.
—Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023
According to an unauthorized biography of Mohamed, the entrepreneur went out of his way to befriend Diana, whose turbulent personal life, from her marital separation in 1992 to her tell-all interview with the BBC in 1995, provided nonstop tabloid fodder.
—Meilan Solly, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 Nov. 2023
The comments made in the audio recordings match some of the information disclosed in the tell-all book Mary Trump published in 2020, Too Much and Never Enough.
—Ana Faguy, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
While Barry publicly supported her brother, she was captured criticizing him in audio recorded by her niece, Mary L. Trump, the daughter of Fred Trump Jr. who published a tell-all memoir about her family, including her uncle, in 2020.
—Allison Elyse Gualtieri, CBS News, 13 Nov. 2023
The pop star’s new tell-all memoir, The Woman in Me, sold 1.1 copies in its first week of release, according to the Associated Press.
—Mitchell Peters, Billboard, 4 Nov. 2023
Prosecutors told a grand jury that Davis implicated himself in the killing in multiple interviews and a 2019 tell-all memoir that described his life leading a Crips sect in Compton.
—CBS News, 2 Nov. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tell-all.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1940, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near tell-all
Cite this Entry
“Tell-all.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell-all. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.
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