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
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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
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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
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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
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Examples of tale in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
This narrative of ecological and population collapse became a cautionary tale of overexploitation of resources, popularized by University of California (UC), Los Angeles biologist Jared Diamond in his book Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed.
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Byrodrigo Pérez Ortega, science.org, 11 Sep. 2024
The Women by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press: $30) An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.
…
Hardcover nonfiction
1.
—The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2024
But at its center is a coming-of-age tale that resonates with audiences of every generation.
—James Mercadante, Cori Chapman, EW.com, 11 Sep. 2024
These are all tales of questionable behavior from r/AmItheAsshole.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tale 
Byrodrigo Pérez Ortega, science.org, 11 Sep. 2024
The Women by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin’s Press: $30) An intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided.
…
Hardcover nonfiction
1.
—The California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2024
But at its center is a coming-of-age tale that resonates with audiences of every generation.
—James Mercadante, Cori Chapman, EW.com, 11 Sep. 2024
These are all tales of questionable behavior from r/AmItheAsshole.
—Aja Romano, Vox, 10 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tale
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tale.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Thesaurus Entries Near tale
Cite this Entry
“Tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tale. Accessed 20 Sep. 2024.
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