Meanings
- idiomaticinformalUsed to positively assert the frank honesty of an associated statement of set of statements; equivalent to "to you tell the truth".
"What's the point? Your buddies can kick back and relax. I'm going into voluntary retirement." / "Oh?" / "Tell you the truth, I was getting a little tired of Jim Shorter. Tired of that little room on Ninety-fourth Street. You know what I might do? I might leave town."
1994, Lawrence Block, A Long Line of Dead MenSynonyms: frankly, honestly, tell the truth
Synonyms & antonyms
phraseUsed to positively assert the frank honesty of an associated statement of set of statements; equivalent to "to you tell the truth".
Cite this entry
tell you the truth. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tell%20you%20the%20truth
“tell you the truth.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tell%20you%20the%20truth. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tell you the truth,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tell%20you%20the%20truth.
Source: tell you the truth on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.