pray tell

idiom

old-fashioned
used for emphasis to demand an answer when asking someone for a reason, explanation, etc.
Why should I trust them, pray tell?
What were you doing, pray tell?

Examples of pray tell in a Sentence

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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.
So, pray tell, what the eff happened to all the non-white people in Season 8 of Love Is Blind? Melanie Curry, refinery29.com, 17 Feb. 2025 But what real person, pray tell, has their sister go missing for more than a complete Chinese zodiac cycle, only to spur of the moment visit a derelict prison… with an almost dead flashlight… in the middle of the night? Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 21 July 2024

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“Pray tell.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pray%20tell. Accessed 22 Mar. 2025.

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