tell of
phrasal verb
told of; telling of; tells of
formal + literary
1
: to be evidence of (something) : to indicate
Her smile told of her good news.
His rough hands tell of a hard life.
2
: to describe (something) : to make the details of (something) known
The article tells of her Arctic journey.
3
: to talk to (someone) about (something)
He told us of his plans to move to the city.
Examples of tell of in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Howard tells of the falling-out this caused between Hemingway and Dos Passos, both of whom had gone to Spain to write about the war.
—
Vince Passaro, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
After being let in and told of the situation, Rasmussen tripled her order.
—Dee Depass Star Tribune, Arkansas Online, 28 Dec. 2025
Historical accounts tell of people hauling their belongings from Marysville across the bridge, such as a car dealership that moved its inventory of vehicles for safekeeping.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 23 Dec. 2025
But many accounts, Navarro’s among them, tell of years of large and small humiliations.
—Ian Parker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell of
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Vince Passaro, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
After being let in and told of the situation, Rasmussen tripled her order.
—Dee Depass Star Tribune, Arkansas Online, 28 Dec. 2025
Historical accounts tell of people hauling their belongings from Marysville across the bridge, such as a car dealership that moved its inventory of vehicles for safekeeping.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 23 Dec. 2025
But many accounts, Navarro’s among them, tell of years of large and small humiliations.
—Ian Parker, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell of
Cite this Entry
“Tell of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20of. Accessed 1 Jan. 2026.
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