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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

tell on en · VERB

Meanings

  1. (childish, usually) To inform on, to rat out; to tell a person in authority that someone else has done something wrong.
    • My sister told on me when I didn't go to school.
    • Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Samuel 27:11:
  2. To cause visible strain to.
    • Years of drinking started to tell on his body.

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
tells on Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
told on Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
told on Tense=Past lexicographic
telling on Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic

Relateds

rat out

Synonyms

bewray

Translations (23)

ru настуча́ть (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · ta மாட்டிவிடு (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · sv tjalla (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · pt dedurar (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · es chivarse (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · es chivatear (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · ro pârî (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · cs žalovat (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · fi kannella (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · hu beárul (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · ru ная́бедничать (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · sv skvallra (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · fr balancer (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · ru я́бедничать (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · pl skarżyć (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · ru стуча́ть (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · hu árulkodik (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · da sladre (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · pl poskarżyć (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · tl magsumbong (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · de verpetzen (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · es delatar (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong) · nl klikken (to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong)