1
as in stories
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
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2
as in anecdotes
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 lies
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 novellas
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
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Recent Examples of tales
Damann takes guests to the visitor center which has its own fish tales to tell.
—
John Lauritsen, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2026
His plays — rife with explorations of deep humanity and emotion — provide not just a framework for hanging many different worlds upon his words, but also the kind of complex characters and twisted tales that actors and filmmakers crave, whether tragedy, romance or comedy.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
These are films that reflect the human condition through inspirational tales of struggle, tragic true stories, life-threatening conflicts, and intimate psychological portraits.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Apr. 2026
These larger-than-life tales grew harder to tolerate, Barnes said.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
The less satisfying of these two tales is rooted in 1969.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
The Shatter Me series — comprised of six main novels plus supplemental tales — has over a four-star average rating on Goodreads, out of more than 5 million total ratings.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
Even tales as old as time need to get told a different way every once in a while.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026
Ammonia damaged the paper preserving ancient chronicles (letopisi) of tales that served the needs of princes and priests at the expense of those beneath them or at their throats.
—Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
John Lauritsen, CBS News, 9 Apr. 2026
His plays — rife with explorations of deep humanity and emotion — provide not just a framework for hanging many different worlds upon his words, but also the kind of complex characters and twisted tales that actors and filmmakers crave, whether tragedy, romance or comedy.
—Katie Walsh, Boston Herald, 9 Apr. 2026
These are films that reflect the human condition through inspirational tales of struggle, tragic true stories, life-threatening conflicts, and intimate psychological portraits.
—Kevin Jacobsen, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Apr. 2026
These larger-than-life tales grew harder to tolerate, Barnes said.
—Sam Tabachnik, Denver Post, 8 Apr. 2026
The less satisfying of these two tales is rooted in 1969.
—Christopher Smith, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
The Shatter Me series — comprised of six main novels plus supplemental tales — has over a four-star average rating on Goodreads, out of more than 5 million total ratings.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 6 Apr. 2026
Even tales as old as time need to get told a different way every once in a while.
—Christopher Arnott, Hartford Courant, 5 Apr. 2026
Ammonia damaged the paper preserving ancient chronicles (letopisi) of tales that served the needs of princes and priests at the expense of those beneath them or at their throats.
—Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tales
Noun
-
Inside the media center, rows of workstations equipped with laptops and charging points allow reporters to file stories.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Filmmakers have used the Civil War as a setting for many decades now, inspiring stories of epic military battles, romantic melodramas, and even satires, from sweeping Best Picture winners like Gone With the Wind (1939) to revisionist Westerns like Django Unchained (2012).—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
11 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The flip side is that 1 in 10 AI answers is wrong, and for Google, that means hundreds of thousands of lies going out every minute of the day.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
7 Apr. 2026
-
For years, Ye used his considerable celebrity to promote hate and violence against Jews, spreading antisemitic lies and stereotypes to his 33 million followers — more than twice the number of Jewish people alive today.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Stern has also published four collections of stories, four novellas, and two children’s books, all of them steeped in Jewish folklore.—
Cathleen Schine,
The New York Review of Books,
19 Mar. 2026
-
For reading widely, there’s discovery to be had among novellas, which thanks to their short length can get away with being weird and different.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Brazil's federal police also said the unnamed fugitive was recently sentenced by the country's top court for the same three counts as Ramagem's conviction.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Sedrick Walker, 21, is charged with burglary, two counts of breaking and entering to commit a misdemeanor, four counts of indecent exposure, two counts of trespassing, wearing a mask in public and obstruction of justice, the Fairfax County Police Department said in a release.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Behind every trauma and calamity, whether personal or global, whispers of Jewish machination can be heard by those already listening for them.—
Mike Rothschild,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
-
In this extraordinary moment, we're reminded that wisdom often comes in the smallest whispers, and true courage lies in following where we're led with childlike trust.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Philo recovered to finish 18-of-24 for 166 yards and two scores.—
Edgar Thompson,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Mariam explained that she’d been admitted to Bronx Science through a program called Discovery, for students from disadvantaged backgrounds whose test scores fell just below the school’s cutoff line.—
Molly Fischer,
New Yorker,
10 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In nonleague action, Avery Regan netted five goals and Maddie Campbell finished with two tallies and five assists as Cohasset (4-0) took down Wellesley 15-11.—
Brian Roach,
Boston Herald,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Carlson, 36, scored twice on the power play on the way to his first three-goal game, anchoring an effort that also included tallies by Leo Carlsson, Alex Killorn and Frank Vatrano.—
Andrew Knoll,
Oc Register,
10 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tales. Accessed 15 Apr. 2026.
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