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

There are plenty of woeful online tales lamenting ovens breaking and glass shattering under the 800- to 1,000-degrees Fahrenheit heat of a self-cleaning oven cycle. —Jessica Elliott, Dallas Morning News, 10 Feb. 2026

The marketing department came up with a tale to satisfy their curiosity. —Sal Pizarro, Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2026

Thanks to streaming — and a prequel series created by Roberts, Blood of My Blood, which wrapped production on season 2 in December — fans will no doubt be discovering and delighting in the Frasers' tales for years to come. —Amy Wilkinson, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Feb. 2026

What unfolded from there, though, was a more stirring and revealing tale than anything that could have unfolded with Peterson playing. —Kansas City Star, 10 Feb. 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