tell tales

verb

To lie, to be making false claims.

“Don't listen to him; he's telling tales.”

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Meanings

verbtell tales (third-person singular simple present tells tales, present participle telling tales, simple past and past participle told tales)

present singular third person tells tales · participle present telling tales · participle past told tales · past told tales

  1. idiomaticTo lie, to be making false claims.

    Don't listen to him; he's telling tales.

  2. UKTo report someone for a wrongdoing.
noun
  1. pluralplural of tell tale

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
sneak
Cite this entry
APA

tell tales. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tell%20tales

MLA

“tell tales.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tell%20tales. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tell tales,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tell%20tales.

Source: tell tales on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.