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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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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tale
The love story also inspired others to share similar tales of their own pets' romantic lives.
—
Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025
In what seems to be a tale as old as time, my husband and I have been in a years-long cycle of rotating the same small handful of recipes.
—Alexis Berger, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
Parents need to take measures to be protected, advocates say
Catalina’s family’s experience is a cautionary tale for undocumented parents with children in schools, Goldstein said.
—Miami Herald, 8 Aug. 2025
The Coldplay public humiliation is a cautionary tale of atrophied American privacy.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for tale
Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Aug. 2025
In what seems to be a tale as old as time, my husband and I have been in a years-long cycle of rotating the same small handful of recipes.
—Alexis Berger, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Aug. 2025
Parents need to take measures to be protected, advocates say
Catalina’s family’s experience is a cautionary tale for undocumented parents with children in schools, Goldstein said.
—Miami Herald, 8 Aug. 2025
The Coldplay public humiliation is a cautionary tale of atrophied American privacy.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 18 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for tale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tale
Noun
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Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.—
Madison E. Goldberg,
People.com,
8 Aug. 2025
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Share stories of lateral moves in company updates—not as policy footnotes but as real growth journeys.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
8 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The source of this tale is a man named Barry (Alpha Oumar Sow), who coaches refugees like Souleymane to lie in their interviews for sympathetic and dramatic effect, and even supplies them with false documents that might corroborate those lies.—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
6 Aug. 2025
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And, sitting here a quarter of the way through the 21st century, that image is a lie.—
Will Sabel Courtney,
Robb Report,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Adapted by Max Porter from his novella Shy, Steve has Oscar winner Murphy playing a headteacher during a pivotal day for students at a last-chance reform school and in a world that has left them behind.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
22 July 2025
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Each of the first four novels tells the love story of a hockey player, with the fifth being a novella collection of all four couples.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
25 July 2025
Noun
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The driver was booked into the Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of DUI and two counts of willful cruelty to a child.—
Cathie Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
12 Aug. 2025
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Police said Slocum voluntarily turned himself in and was charged with one count of second-degree breach of peace.—
Staff report,
Hartford Courant,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Retail therapy glints at Luxury Plaza: think OMEGA watches, fine jewellery, and a whisper of indulgence.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
7 Aug. 2025
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These rules were administered via cold shoulders and whispers.—
Alessandra Schade,
Time,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Allusions to myths, fables, and riffs on common idioms abound, many of them evocative and quite funny.—
Lora Kelley,
New Yorker,
7 Aug. 2025
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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
Noun
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Even as her latest release fades from memory, fans are turning to one of her more recent smashes in large enough numbers to push it back to multiple tallies at the same time.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
6 Aug. 2025
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The tally is after local taxes but before the visiting teams’ share.—
Kurt Badenhausen,
Sportico.com,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Thanks for playing — and share your scores in the comments!—
Mark Cooper,
New York Times,
12 Aug. 2025
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The report is a compilation of STAAR scores in every campus in the city, including schools in 12 school districts and 13 charter school networks, broken out by city council district.—
Silas Allen,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
12 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tale. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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