tells

present tense third-person singular of tell
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as in counts
to find the sum of (a collection of things) by noting each one as it is being added who can tell the number of grains of sand in the world?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 tells Just like 2024, the top three airports remain the same, which isn’t surprising, Taylor tells CNBC Make It. Celia Fernandez, CNBC, 19 Oct. 2025 From a vintage painting discovered in a shop to a child’s colorful sketch, each piece tells a story and adds warmth to your home. Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 19 Oct. 2025 Preaching forgiveness before safety or submission without equality tells survivors to endure rather than escape. Ed Gaskin, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025 That version — ‘El Pendón Estrellado’ — tells the exact same story, word for word in meaning, and is set to the exact same melody. Julyssa Lopez, Rolling Stone, 19 Oct. 2025 This Stephen King adaptation stars Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden and Andre Braugher and tells the story of a small group of people in Bridgton, Maine who meet in a supermarket to find supplies after a thunderstorm and start to notice an eerie mist cloaking the presence of monsters among them. Emma Specter, Vogue, 19 Oct. 2025 Rensch tells Fortune they were routinely overlooked and disregarded. Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2025 This low-budget modern classic tells the terrifying tale of a mother, her son, and a freaky picture book that just won't go away, creating the kind of atmospheric chaos that takes up residence in your head forever. Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025 The percentage tells the public how much of the fire perimeter is believed to not go beyond the control lines. Ca Wildfire Bot, Sacbee.com, 13 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tells
Verb
  • Local reporting describes heavy traffic, overflow parking, and crowding at overlooks as leaf peepers arrive during good weather windows.
    Monica Sanders, Forbes.com, 21 Oct. 2025
  • In an interview with WWD, the 38-year-old describes how this new era, which includes e-commerce expansion across the Middle East, is poised to corner untapped potential markets like Saudi Arabia.
    Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Some of her products sold out within hours, even when Markle says her team assumed inventory would last weeks.
    Sydney Lake, Fortune, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Early Saturday, Ann Davis, 55, of Maynard was killed in a crash in rural Randolph County, a report from state police says.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The game marked the NBA’s formal return to NBC, ending a hiatus of 8,532 days since the last time an American pro basketball game that counts was broadcast on the network.
    Joe Vardon, New York Times, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Today, the main Facebook group counts nearly 1,400 members, with thousands more contributing through letters, social media and local outreach.
    Moná Thomas, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The latest installment, which premiered Thursday on Netflix, picks up just moments after the Season 2 cliffhanger when the President dies after Hal (Rufus Sewell) informs him of Vice President Grace Penn’s involvement in the bombing of a British aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf.
    Katie Campione, Deadline, 18 Oct. 2025
  • That shift informs the way climbing gyms are put together.
    Kelli María Korducki, HubSpot, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Stimulating immune responses against cancer Cancer immunotherapy instructs the patient’s own immune system to fight the disease.
    Richard J. Price, The Conversation, 15 Oct. 2025
  • The doctrine instructs that an erroneous fact in a story is not, by itself, sufficient for a defamation claim.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 14 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Despite the cemetery’s promise to fix the head solidly on the base, the picture reveals only a tiny piece of rebar that had been keeping it place.
    David Kushner, Rolling Stone, 20 Oct. 2025
  • Continue reading … WORLDWIDE AGENDA – Investigation reveals multimillion-dollar lobby pushing assisted suicide to minors.
    , FOXNews.com, 20 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In his posthumous memoir, The Bigger Picture, Oscar-winning producer Jon Landau recounts the moment that all changed.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The two form an unlikely bond as Molina recounts the plot of a Hollywood musical starring his favorite silver screen diva, Ingrid Luna (Lopez).
    Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In a clip shared with PEOPLE ahead of the episode's release, Monica speaks with podcast host AD Smith about the grueling journey.
    Hannah Sacks, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
  • On the podcast, the star speaks to a friend of the guest before interviewing them.
    Megan Cartwright, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tells.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tells. Accessed 25 Oct. 2025.

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