1
as in story
a rumor or report of a personal or sensational nature
don't believe the tales you hear about our neighbor's kid
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in anecdote
a brief account of something interesting that happened especially to one personally
asked Dad to tell once again the tale of how, as a kid, he broke his arm jumping out of a tree
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in lie
a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive
told tall tales in an attempt to impress me with her supposedly upper-crust background
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in novella
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel
the oft-told tale of Sleeping Beauty
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tale
For tabloids, this is a tale as old as time—but this doesn’t just happen in tabloids now.
—
Beth Sobol, Allure, 17 July 2025
Written in 1915, this haunting tale foreshadows the modern crisis of identity fueled by mass layoffs, burnout and the looming fear of being replaced by machines.
—Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
But booking a historical hotel or Airbnb rental with a storied past—tales of tenants, centuries-old architecture, or whatever else might land a property on a local registrar—is the difference between a simple spot to snooze at night and your next dinner party conversation.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 16 July 2025
Cautious messaging fosters angst among faculty, graduate students The mood at UW-Madison is a tale of two campuses, said Bernard-Donals.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for tale
Beth Sobol, Allure, 17 July 2025
Written in 1915, this haunting tale foreshadows the modern crisis of identity fueled by mass layoffs, burnout and the looming fear of being replaced by machines.
—Ann Kowal Smith, Forbes.com, 16 July 2025
But booking a historical hotel or Airbnb rental with a storied past—tales of tenants, centuries-old architecture, or whatever else might land a property on a local registrar—is the difference between a simple spot to snooze at night and your next dinner party conversation.
—Erika Owen, Architectural Digest, 16 July 2025
Cautious messaging fosters angst among faculty, graduate students The mood at UW-Madison is a tale of two campuses, said Bernard-Donals.
—Kelly Meyerhofer, jsonline.com, 15 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for tale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tale
Noun
-
Get a weekly round up of the top tech stories from around the world in your inbox every Friday.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
15 July 2025
-
Read the full story by Nick Mardowanec on Newsweek.—
Amanda Castro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 July 2025
Noun
-
Basing a political movement on lies and conspiracy theories is inevitably going to come back to haunt you.—
Bill Goodykoontz,
AZCentral.com,
14 July 2025
-
The misinformation, and sometimes blatant lies, being spread around the country could result in someone stepping into a federal operation and suddenly finding themselves face-to-face with a killer who has nothing to lose.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
Noun
-
Based on the first novella in Martha Wells’ book series, Murderbot is a sci-fi thriller/comedy about a self-hacking security construct who is horrified by human emotion yet drawn to its vulnerable clients, played by Alexander Skarsgård.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
10 July 2025
-
The show, based on a novella by the author Martha Wells, follows a snarky private-security cyborg (played by Alexander Skarsgård) assigned to protect a group of scientists investigating a mostly uncharted planet.—
Emma Stefansky,
The Atlantic,
5 July 2025
Noun
-
Over seven years later, on Friday, April 11, Verduzco pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, one count of driving under the influence of alcohol causing injury, and one count of driving with a .08% blood alcohol content causing injury.—
Charna Flam,
People.com,
19 July 2025
-
With so many starters on restrictive pitch counts, the bullpen has to cover 4-5 innings every night.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
19 July 2025
Noun
-
The whispers grow louder as the beeping becomes more frequent until finally, the alarm sounds.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
15 July 2025
-
On LinkedIn, whispers of stealth layoffs and hiring freezes are growing louder.—
Andrew Fennell,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
Noun
-
As three people with remote connections to a house try to solve two brutal murders, the story becomes increasingly complicated and implausible, evolving into a fable about a cursed family.—
Pat Tompkins,
AFAR Media,
18 June 2025
-
The Mulan legend is widely recounted in Chinese literature and inspired a fictional character in two Walt Disney movies based on the Chinese fable.—
Stephanie Balkwill,
The Conversation,
17 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
So far, the tally of trade deals struck by Trump stands at two -- one with the United Kingdom and one with Vietnam.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
13 July 2025
-
Many beloved bands and singers who have either retired or passed away continue to make a home on the tally, thanks to popular compilations or, in some select cases, a proper full-length that simply won't go away.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
13 July 2025
Noun
-
Researchers found that higher scores of psychopathy were associated with the willingness to be unfaithful to one’s partner.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
19 July 2025
-
Customer satisfaction: According to the American Customer Satisfaction Index, T-Mobile earned a score of 78, the highest among non-fiber internet providers in 2025.—
Roxanne Downer,
USA Today,
19 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tale. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share