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

Reports indicate that Prince William and Kate Middleton were told of the decision ahead of news breaking worldwide. — Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 21 Aug. 2026

Jules survives, and the book continues across a decade, with chapters telling of the first of May each year, relentlessly building toward a surprising conclusion. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 20 Aug. 2026

Another property owner, Matthew Blackard of 2017 Timberwood Lane, told of how his basement well windows were blown out by flooding, causing at least $15,000 in damage. — Jim Woods, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026

Others told of children suffering serious ailments who were shooed off with Tylenol. — Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for tell of

• above
• foxglove
• hereof
• thereof
• whereof
• dove
• glove
• love
• shove
• hereinabove