How to Use tell in a Sentence

tell

verb
  • Has she told you the good news, yet?
  • He told us the story.
  • She looked at the palm of my hand and told me my fortune.
  • If you see her, tell her hello for me.
  • I promise not to tell anyone.
  • I can't tell you because it's a secret.
  • Please tell us your name and occupation.
  • But what the film does tell is true.
    — Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
  • So, right there that tells us a lot.
    — ABC News, 28 Sep. 2025
  • Grab the bear and tell him to get out?
    — Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
  • Okay, Jesse, tell us about your lemon bars.
    — Emily Elias, Bon Appetit Magazine, 3 June 2026
  • This is such a meaty story to tell.
    — Todd Gilchrist, IndieWire, 24 June 2026
  • Police told him to put the gun down.
    — Erik S. Hanley, jsonline.com, 27 Feb. 2026
  • And that should tell you something.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 30 Jan. 2026
  • Don’t tell me where the camera has to go.
    — Jack Dunn, Variety, 28 May 2026
  • The six tell the woman to shush/hush.
    — Literary Hub, 3 Apr. 2026
  • Depth and pain are also telling.
    — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 6 May 2026
  • That played a big role in us telling this story.
    — Lynette Rice, Deadline, 13 Sep. 2025
  • And please tell us the bathroom won’t let us down?
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2026
  • Please tell us the bathroom won’t let us down.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2026
  • Just a district told, once again, to wait.
    — Daryl Campbell, Sun Sentinel, 6 May 2026
  • He had been told that he’d soon be released on bail.
    — Cora Engelbrecht, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2026
  • And please tell us the bathroom won’t let us down.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 4 June 2026
  • Brown told them to play faster, move the ball more, keep the floor spaced out.
    — Hannah Keyser, CNN Money, 11 June 2026
  • And Philip told me that someone shakes his hand.
    — Literary Hub, 17 June 2026
  • Fletcher told him no, Balow said.
    — CBS News, 20 May 2026
  • But only time will tell if Zach finds true love!
    — Allison Degrushe, StyleCaster, 3 June 2026
  • This was a story that needed to be told.
    — Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Oct. 2025
  • At some point, Jothan told us students we were done.
    — Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
  • Still, Bores told me that lines were starting to blur.
    — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 7 May 2026

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tell.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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