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
Paul would tell of returning his academic robes still in the box because he wasn’t permitted to practice law.
—
Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025
The legend of Icarus tells of a young man who escaped imprisonment with his father, Daedalus, by taking flight on wings made of feathers and wax.
—Lily Hautau, CNN Money, 5 Dec. 2025
An Israeli charity that facilitates kidney transplants has told of its regret at not being considered by Guinness World Records for a milestone of donor numbers because submissions from Israel, the West Bank or Gaza are not being accepted.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
In September, both Access Sacramento and SECC were told of a crippling budget projection just days before a meeting.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 5 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell of
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Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 7 Dec. 2025
The legend of Icarus tells of a young man who escaped imprisonment with his father, Daedalus, by taking flight on wings made of feathers and wax.
—Lily Hautau, CNN Money, 5 Dec. 2025
An Israeli charity that facilitates kidney transplants has told of its regret at not being considered by Guinness World Records for a milestone of donor numbers because submissions from Israel, the West Bank or Gaza are not being accepted.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2025
In September, both Access Sacramento and SECC were told of a crippling budget projection just days before a meeting.
—Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 5 Dec. 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 21 Dec. 2025.
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