1
as in to affect
to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response
the pressure of final exams is beginning to tell on the students in the dorm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to talk
to give information (as to the authorities) about another's improper or unlawful activities
detectives convinced the perpetrators in custody to tell on their associates
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tell (on)
Verb
-
That won’t impact students who were already enrolled in their schools, but could affect new and transferring students.—
Rory Linnane,
jsonline.com,
31 July 2025 -
Performance was only marginally affected, but the lack of a V8 had altered the vehicle’s character.—
Michael Harley,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Verb
-
Read the instructions on the label or talk with your doctor to decide which dose is best for you.—
Health,
Health,
25 July 2025
-
Joey’s parents encouraged him to talk to Sunseri and head coach DeShaun Foster to find out what was going on.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
25 July 2025
Verb
-
Meanwhile, these absentee planters used their money to influence parliament in their favor.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 July 2025
-
Epigenetics is the study of how environmental and behavioral factors can influence how our genes are expressed.—
Juliana Kim,
NPR,
29 July 2025
Verb
-
While some fans were impressed by her party trick, others were concerned about the idea of putting her food on a dirty pizza box.—
Lori A Bashian,
FOXNews.com,
2 Aug. 2025
-
But Woodson has impressed in the early days of training camp and likely carves out a depth role, while contributing early on special teams.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
But in April, as dozens of her colleagues would soon find out for themselves, the UT Office of Sponsored Projects informed her the project was among several the federal government had terminated.—
Lily Kepner,
Austin American Statesman,
30 July 2025
-
And that informed something very important for me foundationally.—
Carson Blackwelder,
People.com,
29 July 2025
Verb
-
Five years later, reckless driving is still a major issue impacting residents of Burnham Park, a neighborhood with some of the highest rates of traffic crashes in the city, according to data from the Milwaukee Police Department.—
Alyssa N. Salcedo,
jsonline.com,
30 July 2025
-
The job cuts are expected to disproportionately impact non-manufacturing jobs in Cincinnati, P&G's headquarters.—
Alexander Coolidge,
The Enquirer,
29 July 2025
Verb
-
The discussion inevitably also touched on the role of tax incentives.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
25 July 2025
-
The curved viewing line for Saturday nearly touches the border between South Dakota and Nebraska, as chances of seeing the northern lights increase the farther north people are of the line.—
Antonio Pequeño IV,
Forbes.com,
25 July 2025
Verb
-
Jamie Roy and Sam Heughan aren't related in real life, but the resemblance between the two Outlander stars is striking.—
Maureen Lee Lenker Published,
EW.com,
26 July 2025
-
Six years after tragedy struck and abruptly ended the storied tradition, the festival is back — albeit smaller and in a different setting.—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
25 July 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Cite this Entry
“Tell (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tell%20%28on%29. Accessed 6 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share