tells (on)

verb

present tense third-person singular of tell (on)
1
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tells (on)
  1. influences
  2. talks
  3. affects
  4. informs
  5. impresses
  6. impacts
  7. touches
Verb
  • Studies such as Edelman's annual Trust Barometer and PwC's Trust Survey showcase how trust influences organizational performance, customer confidence and long-term relationships.
    — ByPaul L. Gunn, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • As the following charts will show, a more accurate way to describe it is that the short-end of the Treasury curve heavily influences the Fed funds rate.
    — Todd Gordon, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of influences
Verb
  • Prize Director Michael Kelleher talks with 2026 Windham-Campbell Prize for Nonfiction recipient Kei Miller about Yuval Noah Harari’s sprawling and sometimes controversial book Sapiens and about how humanity is fiction (and vice-versa).
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
  • In this encore episode for our Tech Camp series, host Regina Barber talks to Carl Zimmer, a science reporter at The New York Times, about his reporting on mirror cells — and why creating them could lead to devastating consequences for life on Earth.
    — Berly McCoy, NPR, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of talks
Verb
  • But further advances are complicated because the area is an organized crime risk, which affects investment and insurance policies.
    — Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Wu said that the fungus mostly affects patients with severe underlying medical conditions who require complex medical care.
    — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of affects
Verb
  • This formative experience informs how Chidi approaches the foundation's commitment to meeting people within their circumstances rather than imposing external solutions.
    — Mena Mirhom, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • That combined experience informs Hades Films’ goal of creating theatrical horror made for Gen Z — without treating younger audiences like a market segment that can be reverse-engineered.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of informs
Verb
  • Listing just seven items on the menu, Sehzade Cag Kebap impresses with simplicity, outstanding flavors, and efficient service.
    — CNT Editors, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Photography by Venetia Scott impresses itself on you like that—an entire aesthetic world, made by an ultra-discreet British fashion photographer-polymath who lives and works at the end of a quiet street in North Kensington.
    — Sarah Mower, Architectural Digest, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of impresses
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
  • The eatery features Midcentury Modern touches with curved cherry wood walls and paneled ceilings, as well as illuminated white onyx Corian surfaces.
    — Jessica Gelt, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2026
  • This is why healthcare carries an especially high bar for accountability, and any vendor that touches patient data should be built for HIPAA readiness from the start rather than retrofitted for it later.
    — Brett White, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 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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Cite this Entry

“Tells (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tells%20%28on%29. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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