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
Wrexham’s Hollywood script Ridiculous rise, incredible achievements, two very likeable owners and a working-class town and club reborn by one of modern football’s most famous rags-to-riches tales.
—
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Different mythological tales point to the reason behind this observance.
—ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
Underlining that notion that romantic tales can take different forms, there is also a feature adaptation of Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell in the works at Webtoon Productions.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
Players have embraced him, too, telling many of their favorite Cignetti tales.
—Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
The tales range across time and place but are connected by El-Mohtar’s love of women.
—Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 2 Mar. 2026
Each of the nine rich tales has enough character detail and intrigue to fill a full-length novel.
—Chris Hewitt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Mexican history is riddled with the tales of once-powerful syndicates — gangs in Guadalajara, Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez, among them — that ruptured, were gobbled up by other mobs or petered out as the big guys were captured or killed.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
There have been a few studies suggesting that Maurten’s version does indeed minimize GI problems and enhance endurance performance—not a huge body of evidence, but enough to buttress the widespread anecdotal tales of elite athletes relying on it.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 25 Feb. 2026
Tim Spiers, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Different mythological tales point to the reason behind this observance.
—ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
Underlining that notion that romantic tales can take different forms, there is also a feature adaptation of Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell in the works at Webtoon Productions.
—Stewart Clarke, Deadline, 3 Mar. 2026
Players have embraced him, too, telling many of their favorite Cignetti tales.
—Michael Marot, Chicago Tribune, 3 Mar. 2026
The tales range across time and place but are connected by El-Mohtar’s love of women.
—Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 2 Mar. 2026
Each of the nine rich tales has enough character detail and intrigue to fill a full-length novel.
—Chris Hewitt, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2026
Recent Mexican history is riddled with the tales of once-powerful syndicates — gangs in Guadalajara, Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez, among them — that ruptured, were gobbled up by other mobs or petered out as the big guys were captured or killed.
—Kate Linthicum, Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2026
There have been a few studies suggesting that Maurten’s version does indeed minimize GI problems and enhance endurance performance—not a huge body of evidence, but enough to buttress the widespread anecdotal tales of elite athletes relying on it.
—Alex Hutchinson, Outside, 25 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tales
Noun
-
Most players, these days, share those stories on podcasts.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
8 Mar. 2026
-
The island is famously low-key, thanks in part to an ordinance that restricts buildings over three stories, keeping high-rises and big resort brands off the sand.—
Carrie Honaker,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
This is the high-stakes intrigue of alliances, diplomacy, secrets, backstabbing, love, lies and drama that keep the world running and sometimes threaten to stop it.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Henneke added that the responsibility to ensure children in the juvenile justice system are served lies squarely with the Tarrant County Juvenile Board.—
Kamal Morgan,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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
-
These are novellas that have existed for 30 years.—
Tracy Brown,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Police arrested Allman and charged him with burglary, two counts of criminal mischief, and breach of bail.—
Matt Schooley,
CBS News,
2 Mar. 2026
-
Gray, 55, faces 29 felony counts, including second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and cruelty to children.—
Kat Greene,
AJC.com,
2 Mar. 2026
Noun
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For the past six months, whispers of a federal investigation echoed inside and around City Hall, the 29-story skyscraper in downtown Kansas City.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Once again, there were no cellphones, and the halls were filled with whispers, out of consideration for those teens who were performing in the classrooms.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Without these two foundational pieces, the state’s national education standing will inevitably decline, and with it those envied AP scores.—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
7 Mar. 2026
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On back-to-back possessions, Madison Booker and Jordan Lee set up scores by Kyla Oldacre and Ashton Judd with precision passes into the paint.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
To forecast where oil prices go, watch the Strait, not the strike tallies.—
Wael Mahdi,
semafor.com,
1 Mar. 2026
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Neto and Fernandez, on the other hand, have both already recorded their best-ever goalscoring tallies for Chelsea this season.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tales. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
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