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
Testimony this week at the National Transportation Safety Board hearing into the incident, and transcripts of interviews with flight attendants conducted by NTSB investigators that were released this week, tell of the panic aboard the flight.
—
Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 26 June 2025
Stories in The New York Times and other mainstream media outlets told of glamping destinations with five-star menus, massages, and even ornate tree dwellings that would make the Swiss Family Robinson drool with envy.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 26 June 2025
City firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics were told of the calendar’s comeback in an internal memo back in March.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 26 June 2025
That’s when the crowd went absolutely wild, we were told of the blowout that lasted well past 3 a.m.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 20 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell of
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Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 26 June 2025
Stories in The New York Times and other mainstream media outlets told of glamping destinations with five-star menus, massages, and even ornate tree dwellings that would make the Swiss Family Robinson drool with envy.
—Frederick Dreier, Outside Online, 26 June 2025
City firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and paramedics were told of the calendar’s comeback in an internal memo back in March.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 26 June 2025
That’s when the crowd went absolutely wild, we were told of the blowout that lasted well past 3 a.m.
—Madeleine Marr, Miami Herald, 20 June 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 8 Jul. 2025.
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