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

Partially shot on location in New York City, the necessary energy to carry this tale constantly flags, airless and sealed up tight against the rest of the world. — Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 14 Sep. 2026

Yaga reimagines the witch, who is known to live in a hut on chicken legs and potentially is a murderous seductress or powerful enchantress, depending on the author of the tale. — Denise Petski, Deadline, 14 Sep. 2026

Sandler was read folk tales as a child and grew up watching the popular anti-heroes of early HBO dramas. — Jennie Punter, Variety, 14 Sep. 2026

Irving then alerts us to the prevalence of bewitchment in the region, setting us up for the Gothic tale to follow. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 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