1
as in story
a rumor or report of a personal or sensational nature
don't believe the tales you hear about our neighbor's kid
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2
as in anecdote
a brief account of something interesting that happened especially to one personally
asked Dad to tell once again the tale of how, as a kid, he broke his arm jumping out of a tree
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3
as in lie
a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive
told tall tales in an attempt to impress me with her supposedly upper-crust background
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in novella
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel
the oft-told tale of Sleeping Beauty
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tale
New stories are expected, but excitingly, the teams behind the three most celebrated shorts from the first anthology have had a chance to revisit those worlds and tales, as The Duel, The Village Bride, and The Ninth Jedi are all getting follow-up shorts.
—
Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 23 Apr. 2025
The position that the Maryland General Assembly has put Gov. Moore in could become a cautionary tale.
—Marc Lester, Baltimore Sun, 22 Apr. 2025
What happened after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 offers a cautionary tale.
—Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2025
Historians recently unveiled a rare 13th-century document depicting the tales of King Arthur and Merlin – and its survival is considered a miracle.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tale
Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 23 Apr. 2025
The position that the Maryland General Assembly has put Gov. Moore in could become a cautionary tale.
—Marc Lester, Baltimore Sun, 22 Apr. 2025
What happened after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 offers a cautionary tale.
—Chicago Tribune, 21 Apr. 2025
Historians recently unveiled a rare 13th-century document depicting the tales of King Arthur and Merlin – and its survival is considered a miracle.
—Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 13 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tale
Noun
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The untitled drama is based on Kerr’s final book Metropolis, which told the iconic detective’s origin story.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2025
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At the center of the most compelling stories lies a single, unshakable force: transformation.—
Rhea Wessel,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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In some contexts, [Lay] is the past tense of lie, as in recline.—
Sam Corbin,
New York Times,
22 Apr. 2025
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Perhaps that’s what makes my lies defective and disjointed.—
Domenico Starnone,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
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An adaptation of the Max Porter novella Grief Is the Thing With Feathers, the drama revolves around a widower (Cumberbatch) who is left to raise two young sons after the unexpected death of his wife.—
Mike Fleming Jr,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 2025
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Crime 101 is directed by Bart Layton, and adapted from a novella by Don Winslow.—
Caroline Frost,
Deadline,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
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And just a few hours later, Melody Farris was found guilty on all five counts against her, including malice murder, felony murder and making false statements.—
Susan Mallie,
CBS News,
26 Apr. 2025
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Maxwell was convicted in 2021 on five of six counts related to the abuse and trafficking of underage girls and was sentenced to a 20-year prison term.—
Riley Hoffman,
ABC News,
25 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Nab the Sennheiser Momentum 4 Wireless headphones that wrap your ears in plush comfort while adaptive noise canceling dials the world down to a whisper at 21% off.—
Shubham Yewale,
PC Magazine,
22 Apr. 2025
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In Drama, there’s the second season of Squid Game, which returned with a whisper as compared to the blaring horns of its breakthrough first season.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Tortoise And The Hare Anyone familiar with the famous Aesop fable knows that the tortoise uses smarts and diligence to beat the hare.—
Gerry Spitzer,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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Based on the fable of Pegasus, the seven-part work is told through dance, music, puppetry and cinema.—
Kristen Tauer,
Footwear News,
28 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The latest tally showed Lee moving ahead of her primary challenger in the race, former City Councilmember Loren Taylor, with 53% percent of the vote compared to Taylor’s 47%.—
Jessica Garrison,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2025
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The brand new full-length arrives as a success across a number of rankings, launching atop several Billboard tallies – and this latest champion is different from his previous rulers.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Jackson, who held a big draft party at his family home in Texarkana, Texas, had an athleticism score of 85 by NFL.com to rank second among the edge rushers and defensive ends in the draft class.—
Tom Murphy,
Arkansas Online,
26 Apr. 2025
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But thanks to clever engineering, the notes are now being offered by scores of brokers and sold in bite-sized $1,000 increments.—
Danielle Chemtob,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tale. Accessed 30 Apr. 2025.
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