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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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tells (on)

Verb

Because the galaxy’s gravity influences the stellar stream’s shape and motion, the researchers used the trail of stars to trace the galaxy’s gravitational field.

— Taylor Nicioli, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
Because the forest canopy influences shade, temperature, water loss and photosynthesis, the index provides a powerful measure of forest function.

— Regan E. Dunn, The Conversation, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of influences

Verb

Patrick, who talks regularly with Ford and Moore, agreed, saying that is not just how a governor does the job, but how a candidate wins it in the first place.

— Steven Sloan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Aug. 2026
Below, Temple talks with Vanity Fair about returning to Ted Lasso, her punk rock upbringing, her friendship with Hannah Waddingham, and her relationship with cigarettes.

— Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of talks

Verb

Diagnoses of autism, a neurodevelopmental condition that affects how people communicate and behave, have increased roughly fivefold over the past couple of decades.

— Amanda Seitz, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
Homelessness in Charlotte Homelessness affects, at minimum, 2,018 people in Mecklenburg County, according to the county’s 2026 Point-In-Time Count, which identifies the number of people experiencing homelessness on a single night.

— Laura Horne, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of affects

Verb

The war impacts oil prices, which could have a negative effect on the general economy, as well as an upward impact on non-energy goods that move to stores in trucks.

— Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
But that perspective is a misunderstanding of how recoil impacts your shooting in the long term.

— Alex Robinson, Outdoor Life, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of impacts

Verb

Reform touches the activity because that is what a university can change on its own authority.

— Ann Kirschner, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026
The metal carrying the electric age Copper is hardly exotic, but no other mineral on this list touches as many parts of the modern economy.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of touches

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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 22 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of tells (on)

verb

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