tell of
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
One tree may have even witnessed the grisly moment told of in tall tales, which gave Hangman's Gulch its name, but sadly, the tree recently died and had to be cut down for the safety of trail users.
—
Olivia Young, CBS News, 19 June 2026
The key difference and one of the tells of heatstroke is a change in mental state, so if a friend is acting confused or disoriented, call 911 immediately.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026
When told of the comparison, Allen lights up.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 17 June 2026
His family was not told of his death (presumably killed) until 1970.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for tell of
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Olivia Young, CBS News, 19 June 2026
The key difference and one of the tells of heatstroke is a change in mental state, so if a friend is acting confused or disoriented, call 911 immediately.
—Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026
When told of the comparison, Allen lights up.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 17 June 2026
His family was not told of his death (presumably killed) until 1970.
—Chuck Murr, Forbes.com, 13 June 2026
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 24 Jun. 2026.
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