tell on

verb

told on; telling on; tells on

1

informal : to tell someone in authority about the bad behavior or actions of (someone else)

Please don't tell on me.

2

: to have a noticeable effect on (someone or something)

The stress began to tell on her face/health.

Examples of tell on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Though the Astros were using a sophisticated system that included trash cans, the Cubs studied widely accessible video to find an existing tell on Kelly and relay that in real time. — Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026

The stage adaptation followed two decades after Beresford first tried to get the story told on screen. — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 25 Aug. 2026

But the numbers in that study are the profession telling on itself. — Gregg Mojica, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Since The Greatest Showman debuted in 2017, the duo has transformed red carpets into an extension of the stories the Emmy Award-winning actress is telling on screen. — Amanda Le, InStyle, 23 July 2026

Rhymes for tell on

• anton
• argon
• axon
• baronne
• baryon
• baton
• boron
• buisson
• bygone
• capon
• cardon
• chiffon