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
To underscore the importance and power of simplicity, McGowan tells of a CEO who was in a media interview about a struggle his company was experiencing.
—
Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025
The world tells of success as such a wonderful story, the pinnacle of happiness.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 30 July 2025
Colbert was told of the cancelation on Wednesday and informed his staff ahead of the taping.
—Peter White, Deadline, 18 July 2025
Details were not released on how and when supervisors were told of the allegations.
—Mark Price
july 16, Miami Herald, 16 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell of
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Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2025
The world tells of success as such a wonderful story, the pinnacle of happiness.
—Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 30 July 2025
Colbert was told of the cancelation on Wednesday and informed his staff ahead of the taping.
—Peter White, Deadline, 18 July 2025
Details were not released on how and when supervisors were told of the allegations.
—Mark Price
july 16, Miami Herald, 16 July 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 Aug. 2025.
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