as in informant
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing
as the office's resident tattler, she can be counted on to report any unauthorized use of the photocopiers
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tattler
Wandering tattlers, the ruddy turnstone and a variety of other summer migrants will be found on our local beaches.
—
Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2025
Tattling to the Bachelor doesn’t always go well for the tattler.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Mortimer Zuckerman, the owner, hired him to replace a British editor who had turned it from a brash, tough-guy paper into a tattler of celebrity gossip and supermarket tabloid stunts.
—Robert D. McFadden, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Aug. 2020
Being a tattler or someone who is too focused on the drama rarely works out, largely because those dudes are more focused on screen time than the lead.
—Martha Sorren, refinery29.com, 20 June 2019
There are social repercussions for kids who develop a reputation as tattlers: they get left out.
—K. Lori Hanson Ph.d., miamiherald, 8 Mar. 2018
Dwight and Eugene remain at an ideological impasse, but Eugene is too busy waffling between his morality and his desire to stay alive to actually pick a side—and for reasons unknown, Dwight hasn’t found a way to simply ax the potential tattler.
—Laura Bradley, HWD, 3 Dec. 2017
Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 June 2025
Tattling to the Bachelor doesn’t always go well for the tattler.
—Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2025
Mortimer Zuckerman, the owner, hired him to replace a British editor who had turned it from a brash, tough-guy paper into a tattler of celebrity gossip and supermarket tabloid stunts.
—Robert D. McFadden, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Aug. 2020
Being a tattler or someone who is too focused on the drama rarely works out, largely because those dudes are more focused on screen time than the lead.
—Martha Sorren, refinery29.com, 20 June 2019
There are social repercussions for kids who develop a reputation as tattlers: they get left out.
—K. Lori Hanson Ph.d., miamiherald, 8 Mar. 2018
Dwight and Eugene remain at an ideological impasse, but Eugene is too busy waffling between his morality and his desire to stay alive to actually pick a side—and for reasons unknown, Dwight hasn’t found a way to simply ax the potential tattler.
—Laura Bradley, HWD, 3 Dec. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tattler
Noun
-
For months, the couple worked with the FBI as informants, with Katas even staging a raid by arranging a meeting with Bateman under the guise of filming.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
-
The suspect police were looking for, based on a tip from a confidential informant, was living in a different apartment, and was wearing a police tracking device while awaiting trial for a recent arrest.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And so every regime invests in having student informers.—
Anne Applebaum,
The Atlantic,
23 Jan. 2026
-
The whole family is deeply involved in the revolutionary movement: the oldest son disappears into Siberia, never to be seen or heard of again, while the youngest, eighteen, is jailed together with his father, and executed after his cell is exposed by an informer.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
If the canary wouldn’t sing, if the milkman was late, if the Pekingese had fleas, if an old coot in a starched collar had a heart attack on the way to church, that was the smog.—
Patt Morrison,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Mar. 2026
-
The proverbial canaries in coal mines will then cause a recession.—
Jim Cramer,
CNBC,
1 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
That kid has tattletale energy.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
-
People who come forward are called narcs, tattletales and snitches.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The New York City Health website recommends avoiding places where rats have urinated (which might be the entire city) and always wearing shoes when taking the trash out.—
The Washington Post,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
-
ContraPest uses the chemicals 4-Vinylcyclohexene Diepoxide, and Triptolide to suppress fertility in female and male rats, DPW officials said.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The Vatican facilitates visas and local SIM cards in advance, and arranges hotels and local transportation, allowing reporters to focus on the news rather than logistics.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Duggan's wife and mother of his six children, Saffrine Duggan, told reporters outside the court in Canberra that his lawyers would consider a further appeal.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tattler.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tattler. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
