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
Sherry Hopson tells of her encounters with killer Bruce Lindahl on a new episode of 'People Magazine Investigates: Surviving a Serial Killer'
What started as a chance meeting became a seemingly normal romance.
—
Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 1 June 2024
Follow more of our reporting on Tarrant County jail deaths: Latest
Fort Worth
What can video tell of Tarrant County inmate’s death?
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 May 2024
Sign up 'The Way a Door Closes' by Hope Anita Smith (2003)
This novella-in-verse tells of a young man's struggle to accept the father who walked out on the family.
—The Week Us, theweek, 7 Feb. 2024
Terrified refugees told of rape, torture, arson, and extrajudicial killings by Burmese soldiers and Buddhist vigilantes.
—Sebastian Strangio, Foreign Affairs, 14 Apr. 2020
An example from the 12th-century English compendium of animal lore, the Aberdeen Bestiary, tells of bears coating sores with mullein.
—Adrienne Mayor, Discover Magazine, 28 May 2024
In the show, the Captain is immediately revealed to be writing his confession, which tells of his journey from Vietnam to Los Angeles, and what ultimately led to him being captured.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 27 May 2024
Advertisement Newsom’s decision to lean on a grassroots organization headquartered 2,400 miles from Sacramento is telling of the political power of suburban women — and the governor’s gaze beyond California.
—Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
When told of Costa’s criminal background and pending trial by the Miami Herald, White De Leon said in a statement the association has launched an internal investigation.
—Rebecca San Juan, Miami Herald, 23 May 2024
Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 1 June 2024
Follow more of our reporting on Tarrant County jail deaths: Latest
Fort Worth
What can video tell of Tarrant County inmate’s death?
—Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 May 2024
Sign up 'The Way a Door Closes' by Hope Anita Smith (2003)
This novella-in-verse tells of a young man's struggle to accept the father who walked out on the family.
—The Week Us, theweek, 7 Feb. 2024
Terrified refugees told of rape, torture, arson, and extrajudicial killings by Burmese soldiers and Buddhist vigilantes.
—Sebastian Strangio, Foreign Affairs, 14 Apr. 2020
An example from the 12th-century English compendium of animal lore, the Aberdeen Bestiary, tells of bears coating sores with mullein.
—Adrienne Mayor, Discover Magazine, 28 May 2024
In the show, the Captain is immediately revealed to be writing his confession, which tells of his journey from Vietnam to Los Angeles, and what ultimately led to him being captured.
—Carly Tagen-Dye, Peoplemag, 27 May 2024
Advertisement Newsom’s decision to lean on a grassroots organization headquartered 2,400 miles from Sacramento is telling of the political power of suburban women — and the governor’s gaze beyond California.
—Mackenzie Mays, Los Angeles Times, 23 May 2024
When told of Costa’s criminal background and pending trial by the Miami Herald, White De Leon said in a statement the association has launched an internal investigation.
—Rebecca San Juan, Miami Herald, 23 May 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tell of.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near tell of
Cite this Entry
“Tell of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20of. Accessed 19 Jun. 2024.
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