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
These are all indicators of a new coach going through a fact-finding mission — but also possible tells of what to expect from McLellan more broadly, at least in these early stages.
—
Max Bultman, The Athletic, 28 Dec. 2024
Germany is credited with starting the tradition of the Christmas tree, according to History.com, with 16th century records telling of Christians bringing trees into their homes for the holiday.
—Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 18 Dec. 2024
Hamnet, undoubtedly her chef d’oeuvre, tells of a family in 1590s Stratford, England, during the bubonic plague.
—Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
More:Fort Hood soldiers tell of abysmal housing The lawyer representing Whitestone Crossing LLC, James Miller, declined to comment about the verdict that the jury reached on Dec. 19.
—Claire Osborn, Austin American-Statesman, 27 Dec. 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.
Max Bultman, The Athletic, 28 Dec. 2024
Germany is credited with starting the tradition of the Christmas tree, according to History.com, with 16th century records telling of Christians bringing trees into their homes for the holiday.
—Ashlyn Messier, Fox News, 18 Dec. 2024
Hamnet, undoubtedly her chef d’oeuvre, tells of a family in 1590s Stratford, England, during the bubonic plague.
—Tomi Obaro, Vulture, 21 Nov. 2024
More:Fort Hood soldiers tell of abysmal housing The lawyer representing Whitestone Crossing LLC, James Miller, declined to comment about the verdict that the jury reached on Dec. 19.
—Claire Osborn, Austin American-Statesman, 27 Dec. 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 7 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share