tell on
phrasal verb
told on; telling on; tells on
1
informal
: to tell someone in authority about the bad behavior or actions of (someone else)
Please don't tell on me.
2
: to have a noticeable effect on (someone or something)
The stress began to tell on her face/health.
Examples of tell on in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The mother, Whitney Price, was told on Jan. 16 by school staff that her son got a bloody nose from running into a wall.
—
Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2025
According to the memo obtained by ABC News, organizations that collectively receive over $200 million in federal grants were told on Friday that the contract was partially terminated, ending the funding for legal representation and for the recruitment of attorneys to represent migrant children.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2025
This has been a common practice across the BOP to both punish those responsible and encourage other inmates to tell on one another.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
That, at least, is the story told on the website of RiverRock, the 2,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom house that finally brought Project 5909 to fruition in 2025, 66 years after Wright’s death.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell on
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Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Mar. 2025
According to the memo obtained by ABC News, organizations that collectively receive over $200 million in federal grants were told on Friday that the contract was partially terminated, ending the funding for legal representation and for the recruitment of attorneys to represent migrant children.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 21 Mar. 2025
This has been a common practice across the BOP to both punish those responsible and encourage other inmates to tell on one another.
—Walter Pavlo, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
That, at least, is the story told on the website of RiverRock, the 2,000-square-foot, three-bedroom, two-bathroom house that finally brought Project 5909 to fruition in 2025, 66 years after Wright’s death.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 19 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell on
Cite this Entry
“Tell on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20on. Accessed 4 Apr. 2025.
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