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
The two-part title story tells of a husband and wife who fled Mexico after the husband made a fortune by skimming from his job in the public works department.
—
Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 10 Nov. 2024
The story told of the infighting, scandals and crises of faith at the Vatican after the pope’s unexpected death — a compelling if hardly uncontroversial yarn.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024
Others traveling on their own have told of being extorted by Mexican authorities and kidnapped – again – by cartels near the northern border, forcing them to miss their appointments.
—Maria Verza, The Denver Post, 30 Oct. 2024
Others told of relationships that had been strained over political differences.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tell of 
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.
Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 10 Nov. 2024
The story told of the infighting, scandals and crises of faith at the Vatican after the pope’s unexpected death — a compelling if hardly uncontroversial yarn.
—Pamela McClintock, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Oct. 2024
Others traveling on their own have told of being extorted by Mexican authorities and kidnapped – again – by cartels near the northern border, forcing them to miss their appointments.
—Maria Verza, The Denver Post, 30 Oct. 2024
Others told of relationships that had been strained over political differences.
—Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tell of
Dictionary Entries Near tell of
Cite this Entry
“Tell of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20of. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share