tale

noun

ˈtāl 

1

a

: a usually imaginative narrative of an event : story

b

: an intentionally untrue report : falsehood

… always preferred the tale to the truth …

—Sir Winston Churchill

2

a

: a series of events or facts told or presented : account

b(1)

: a report of a private or confidential matter

dead men tell no tales

(2)

: a libelous report or piece of gossip

3

a

: count, tally

b

: total

4

obsolete : discourse, talk

Synonyms of tale

• story
• whisper

Examples of tale in a Sentence

The movie is a stirring tale of courage.

We listened to his familiar tale of woe as he talked again about the failure of his marriage.

He told us thrilling tales about his adventures as a pilot in the war.

Are you telling tales again? Or is that the truth?

Recent Examples on the Web

Yes, these stories have monsters in them, heroic adventures, and black-and-white morality tales. — Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026

For his critics, Nolan’s realist instincts will seem like an inability to surrender fully to the wonderment of the tale, indicating a fundamental mismatch between filmmaker and material. — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 17 July 2026

There are no Zeus or Poseidon or Ino or Heracles sightings, and the herald Hermes, who has a pretty big role in Homer’s tale — freeing Odysseus from Calypso and giving him a magical herb to shield him from Circe’s spells — is nowhere to be found. — Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 July 2026

This novel-in-verse is an exquisite rendering of Hekate’s tale from childhood to growing into her power as a witch and a goddess with the power to visit the underworld. — Literary Hub, 17 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Old English talu; akin to Old Norse tala talk

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Phrases Containing tale

• fairy tale
• old wives' tale
• spin a tale
• tale of woe
• tale-teller
• tall tale/story
• thereby hangs a tale

Rhymes for tale

• ail
• ale
• bail
• baile
• dail
• fail
• flail
• frail
• gael
• gail
• grail
• hail

Kids Definition

tale

noun

ˈtā(ə)l 

1

: something told

a tale of woe

2

: a story about an imaginary event

a fairy tale

3

: a false story : lie

4

: a piece of harmful gossip

spread tales about us