TELLS (ON) Synonyms: 86 Similar and Opposite Words

tells (on)

verb

present tense third-person singular of tell (on)

as in influences

to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response the pressure of final exams is beginning to tell on the students in the dorm

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as in talks

to give information (as to the authorities) about another's improper or unlawful activities detectives convinced the perpetrators in custody to tell on their associates

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for tells (on)

Verb

Kevin Mohatt | Reuters The Supreme Court heard a major case this week concerning an Intel retirement plan which could result in a decision that influences employers' appetite for private investments in 401(k)s.

— Cheryl Winokur Munk, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
AthenaZero is part of a more comprehensive research effort to understand how a robot’s physical construction influences its ability to manipulate objects.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of influences

Verb

Jack Wolf Westwood Lincoln Riley talks a big game about excelling in the Big Ten, but in losing badly to Oregon and its backup quarterback, USC probably couldn’t win the Pac-12 this year.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
An agent that confidently approves the wrong payment, escalates an unstable interaction or quietly talks a user into a bad decision belongs in a different category.

— Puneet Gaur, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of talks

Verb

For example, heavy elements are better at absorbing heat from the core, which affects the size of a star’s convective layer.

— Phil Plait, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026
In 2022, Dion was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome (SPS), an autoimmune neurological disorder that affects about one in a million people and has no cure.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of affects

Verb

That refusal to judge also informs Coon’s broader approach to acting.

— Katherine Brodsky, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Livia’s unease informs her skepticism of politics; in linking the two, Kingsolver conflates class and culture, using the former as an excuse for what really just seems to be Livia’s constitutional conservatism.

— Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of informs

Verb

Gunna somehow returns one of Gauff’s blistering serves into the net to kick off the clip, which impresses the 22-year-old tennis star.

— Michael Saponara, Billboard, 9 Oct. 2026
If Smith impresses in training camp, his non-guaranteed deal could be converted to a standard contract.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026

Definition of impresses

Verb

These can profoundly affect our orbiting satellites and power grid, so understanding the sun’s magnetic activity actually very much impacts us here on Earth.

— Phil Plait, Scientific American, 9 Oct. 2026
This inequity not only impacts women psychologically, but physically.

— Georgia Casey, Allure, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of impacts

Verb

The actor plays 007, of course, fighting against Javier Bardem’s Raoul Silva this time around in a story that touches on the very legacy of the big-screen super-spy.

— Brian Tallerico, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
Finishing touches on the church will wrap in the next few months and will include an ADA-accessible ramp.

— Nancy Jiang, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of touches

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.

Browse Nearby Words

tells off

tells (on)

telltale

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“Tells (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tells%20%28on%29. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of tells (on)

verb

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