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
Dumas wrote his titular character as a man of mystique and a naturally charming presence capable of holding court with a wealth of tales from exotic locales.
—
Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
Co-writer Sheldon Lettich has claimed that martial artist Frank Dux, whose stories inspired the movie, fabricated many of the tales.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
Boisterous and welcoming, Georgia regaled us with tales from Gary’s childhood, but a concern for her son’s present state lurked not far beneath the surface.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
There are likely dozens, if not hundreds, of similar tales, for Murdoch was voracious in his empire building.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Add to that litany of cautionary tales the likes of Broad Green, remembered for offering staff perks like free meals from private chefs, but not for its movies.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
The three-hour-long production glides through dances and tales of ancient Hawaii, Tahiti, Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand) and Samoa.
—Ben Davidson, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
There’s water everywhere, approach angles that punish the wrong side of the fairway, and a closing stretch with a long history of turning good rounds into cautionary tales.
—Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Celebrate all things Irish, rock out to four bands, watch a musical that intertwines two mythic tales, see a Baltimore cult classic at the Senator Theatre and listen to a soulful tribute to R&B legends.
—John Coffren, Baltimore Sun, 12 Mar. 2026
Jon O'Brien, IndieWire, 19 Mar. 2026
Co-writer Sheldon Lettich has claimed that martial artist Frank Dux, whose stories inspired the movie, fabricated many of the tales.
—Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
Boisterous and welcoming, Georgia regaled us with tales from Gary’s childhood, but a concern for her son’s present state lurked not far beneath the surface.
—Jonathan Bernstein, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
There are likely dozens, if not hundreds, of similar tales, for Murdoch was voracious in his empire building.
—Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
Add to that litany of cautionary tales the likes of Broad Green, remembered for offering staff perks like free meals from private chefs, but not for its movies.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 17 Mar. 2026
The three-hour-long production glides through dances and tales of ancient Hawaii, Tahiti, Aotearoa (the Maori name for New Zealand) and Samoa.
—Ben Davidson, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
There’s water everywhere, approach angles that punish the wrong side of the fairway, and a closing stretch with a long history of turning good rounds into cautionary tales.
—Jenny Catlin, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Celebrate all things Irish, rock out to four bands, watch a musical that intertwines two mythic tales, see a Baltimore cult classic at the Senator Theatre and listen to a soulful tribute to R&B legends.
—John Coffren, Baltimore Sun, 12 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tales
Noun
-
Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication.—
Data Skrive,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
-
That combination — genuine suffering refracted through dark humor, hardship worn lightly — is exactly what American audiences are finding so alluring in Korean stories right now.—
Dan Bilefsky,
HollywoodReporter,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The Afghan Taliban’s constant lies.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Inside lies a full-beam owner’s stateroom, two doubles, and two twins that can collectively sleep up to 12 guests, along with several lounges and dining areas.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
-
The plan, as outlined by Orsi in that February 2025 Deadline interview, is to adapt all three of the novellas in the Dunk and Egg collection across three total seasons.—
Hanna Wickes,
Miami Herald,
24 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Jon and Carie Hallford each pleaded guilty in December to nearly 200 counts of corpse abuse in state court.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Their son Nick, who was charged with two counts of first degree murder, allegedly stabbed his parents after an argument at Oscars host Conan O’Brien’s holiday party.—
Katie Simons,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This chilling, starkly beautiful ambient piece draws Nebraska’s marginal whispers to the forefront and smears them across the picture plane.—
Sasha Geffen,
Pitchfork,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Jessica Alba's beau just quietly debunked whispers that the actress is secretly dating an NFL star.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Each week since the season began in August, four of us — young Wilfred, a guest subscriber on rotation, an algorithm and I — have been predicting the Premier League scores with varying degrees of success.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
21 Mar. 2026
-
Mallorca went ahead with a goal by Pablo Torre in the 58th minute but Elche rallied with scores by Rafa Mir in the 62nd and Tete Morente in the 71st.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
As of March 12, the 13th day of the war, official tallies from the UAE's Ministry of Defense show air defenses intercepted 268 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles and 1,514 drones, with six fatalities and 131 injuries reported.—
Emma Graham,
CNBC,
15 Mar. 2026
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Government tallies put the number of drug suspects killed during Duterte’s time in office at about 6,000.—
Sheila Coronel,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tales. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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