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
While the story takes place in contemporary times, some of the characters have extraordinary gifts and tell tall tales of a world beyond the realm of most people.
—
Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 19 Feb. 2026
Its accounts of outsize personalities, judges’ infighting, culturally insensitive photo shoots, manipulative producing, network executives betraying producers who in turn betrayed talent—all of this comes standard with tales from the annals of the entertainment industry.
—Judy Berman, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
There are tales of wrestlers standing on their heads in an attempt to sweat more before weigh-ins.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
Discovery tales → Archaeologists discovered a medieval underground tunnel built into a 5,000-year-old Neolithic burial site.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 17 Feb. 2026
The rest grew up hearing the tales and watching the videos — and many will still have seen one or two of the more recent World Cup wins (Brazil have lifted the game's most prestigious title a record five times).
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
This romantic time-hopping saga tells the century-shifting tales of soulmates Claire and Jaime who bounce across the space-time continuum from continent to continent in a series of increasingly complex genealogical encounters as their love intensifies.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Join me each week for these and other tales about Des Moines' and Iowa's surprisingly colorful past.
—Bill Steiden, Des Moines Register, 5 Feb. 2026
Rockrohr used both sides of this visual coin, telling of groundwork done by the late Harry Teshima to bring Black residents into the community and tales of lasting friendships and stories of insults thrown at Black students.
—Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 19 Feb. 2026
Its accounts of outsize personalities, judges’ infighting, culturally insensitive photo shoots, manipulative producing, network executives betraying producers who in turn betrayed talent—all of this comes standard with tales from the annals of the entertainment industry.
—Judy Berman, Time, 18 Feb. 2026
There are tales of wrestlers standing on their heads in an attempt to sweat more before weigh-ins.
—Don Norcross, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
Discovery tales → Archaeologists discovered a medieval underground tunnel built into a 5,000-year-old Neolithic burial site.
—Staff, FOXNews.com, 17 Feb. 2026
The rest grew up hearing the tales and watching the videos — and many will still have seen one or two of the more recent World Cup wins (Brazil have lifted the game's most prestigious title a record five times).
—The Athletic Staff, New York Times, 15 Feb. 2026
This romantic time-hopping saga tells the century-shifting tales of soulmates Claire and Jaime who bounce across the space-time continuum from continent to continent in a series of increasingly complex genealogical encounters as their love intensifies.
—Jeff Spry, Space.com, 14 Feb. 2026
Join me each week for these and other tales about Des Moines' and Iowa's surprisingly colorful past.
—Bill Steiden, Des Moines Register, 5 Feb. 2026
Rockrohr used both sides of this visual coin, telling of groundwork done by the late Harry Teshima to bring Black residents into the community and tales of lasting friendships and stories of insults thrown at Black students.
—Jerry Shnay, Chicago Tribune, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tales
Noun
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Here are two more stories of the subterranean, one sinister and one salty.—
Maureen O'Hare,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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Some clients said they were told to make up stories of abuse that became the crux of their lawsuit.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Newspaper headlines screamed that Welch had called out McCarthy for his cruelty, his ruthlessness and his lies.—
Kristen Monroe,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
There is still time for a course correction, but not if the truth is drowned out with bullying and lies.—
Erick Erickson,
Oc Register,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This anthology duo features interconnected novellas by Quinn, Suzanne Enoch, Karen Hawkins, and Mia Ryan.—
Sara Netzley,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Jan. 2026
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The Irish actor, 29, leads A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, a new Game of Thrones spinoff series based on a series of novellas by Martin, 77, that follows naïve knight Ser Duncan the Tall (Claffey) and his squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).—
Julia Moore,
PEOPLE,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Colt Gray, now 16, has been indicted on 55 felony counts, including four counts of malice murder, according to court documents.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Regardless, a population of 213 unsheltered homeless people is comparable to, if somewhat higher than, the totals found in unincorporated areas during recent point-in-time counts, a separate method for quantifying the crisis that takes place once a year.—
Blake Nelson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The recent whispers were inspired by a resurfaced Comic-Con clip in which Claffey's 11-year-old costar, Dexter Sol Ansell, appears to confirm that the former Superman actor will appear in season 2 of AKOTSK.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
17 Feb. 2026
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To listen to these quiet galactic whispers, scientists need the right tools.—
Paul Sutter,
Space.com,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The conditions were ideal and scores reflected that on the second day of the 100th edition of a tournament that is still up for grabs, with 22 players within nine shots of the lead.—
Steve Galluzzo,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2026
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Lead, a heavy metal once common in products like pipes and paints, is a neurotoxin that can stunt children’s development, lower IQ scores and increase blood pressure in adults.—
Michael Phillis,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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During a hand recount of every ballot cast, tallies of ballots were inconsistent with the actual votes within each ballot.—
AJ Willingham,
AJC.com,
11 Feb. 2026
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The affidavit also references auditors who reported vote tallies during a hand count that were inconsistent with the actual number of votes in certain batches, as well as discrepancies in the county’s reported ballot totals around the recount deadline.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tales. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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