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
This powerful film tells of the friendship between a young man and a peasant farmer who has devoted his life to planting trees throughout his desolate homeland.
—
Jeremy Fassler, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
Newspaper reporters told of multiple arrests of Chinese people at the Texas & Pacific Railroad station as early as 1903.
—Richard J. Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2025
Holding grief and joy in each hand, Peters’ latest tells of tradition, systemic discrimination and resilience.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
The traumatized men told of their efforts to organize a union of Black sharecroppers and tenant farmers to gain economic independence.
—Christmaelle Vernet & Kathy Roberts Forde / Made By History, TIME, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell of
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Jeremy Fassler, Vulture, 2 Mar. 2025
Newspaper reporters told of multiple arrests of Chinese people at the Texas & Pacific Railroad station as early as 1903.
—Richard J. Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2025
Holding grief and joy in each hand, Peters’ latest tells of tradition, systemic discrimination and resilience.
—Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
The traumatized men told of their efforts to organize a union of Black sharecroppers and tenant farmers to gain economic independence.
—Christmaelle Vernet & Kathy Roberts Forde / Made By History, TIME, 28 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell of
Cite this Entry
“Tell of.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20of. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.
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