1
as in story
a rumor or report of a personal or sensational nature
don't believe the tales you hear about our neighbor's kid
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2
as in anecdote
a brief account of something interesting that happened especially to one personally
asked Dad to tell once again the tale of how, as a kid, he broke his arm jumping out of a tree
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3
as in lie
a statement known by its maker to be untrue and made in order to deceive
told tall tales in an attempt to impress me with her supposedly upper-crust background
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in novella
a work with imaginary characters and events that is shorter and usually less complex than a novel
the oft-told tale of Sleeping Beauty
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tale
The Irishman is an epic in every sense of the word, a multi-generational tale of Frank Sheeran's life as an Irish hitman for the Italian mafia.
—
K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
One of Bob Markle’s favorite tales had its setting a few years before World War II, when, except for walking, the only access to northern Wisconsin’s back country was by old logging railways.
—Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
Well-meaning animal rescue volunteers helped spread the unverified story, and audiences eager for a wholesome tale carried it further.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
The president offered the winding tale as an example of how his business sense can lead to better, cheaper outcomes in federal spending.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tale
K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
One of Bob Markle’s favorite tales had its setting a few years before World War II, when, except for walking, the only access to northern Wisconsin’s back country was by old logging railways.
—Dave Duffey, Outdoor Life, 26 Mar. 2026
Well-meaning animal rescue volunteers helped spread the unverified story, and audiences eager for a wholesome tale carried it further.
—Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 26 Mar. 2026
The president offered the winding tale as an example of how his business sense can lead to better, cheaper outcomes in federal spending.
—ABC News, 26 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for tale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tale
Noun
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For more than four decades, the Korean immigrant has worked at the shop near Travis Air Force Base, hearing countless stories of loss, sacrifice and heartbreak from military families and service members.—
Kenny Choi,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
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Paxton told stories about running for office for the first time and his 2023 impeachment.—
Eleanor Dearman,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This is a ridiculous lie and desperate attempt to distract from the pedophile protection party’s unpopular war of choice, increasing gas prices and rapidly dropping polling numbers.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
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Just as lies were used to justify our attack on Iraq over 20 years ago.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Two Prosecutors is based on a novella by Georgy Demidov, a physicist who spent 18 years in Soviet prison camps and was rehabilitated in the late 1950s, only to then have his work seized by the authorities; most of his writings were only published following his death in 1987.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Mar. 2026
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The stories in this collection range from a novella from her post-apocalyptic Sixth World series to a science fiction piece about a conflicted student attending university on a space station.—
Erik Pedersen,
Oc Register,
20 Mar. 2026
Noun
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A week prior, Martin Gatti, a longtime teacher, also 50, was charged with similar counts.—
Ricky Sayer,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Due to increasing activity from the Anthelion sporadic meteor source (a broad region in the night sky that produces a steady, low-level stream of meteors year round) and maybe improved reporting, this amount reflects both a high total count and frequency.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Behind every trauma and calamity, whether personal or global, whispers of Jewish machination can be heard by those already listening for them.—
Mike Rothschild,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
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In this extraordinary moment, we're reminded that wisdom often comes in the smallest whispers, and true courage lies in following where we're led with childlike trust.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Described as a political fable that combines elements of a crime thriller with epic tragedy, the plot of Minotaur sees a Russian corporate executives preparing to carry out mass layoffs, who discovers his wife is having an affair.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
18 Mar. 2026
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That lurid fable was followed by 2023’s Pictures of Ghosts, an impressionistic documentary that told the parallel stories of Mendonça Filho’s life in movies and Recife’s decaying cinemas.—
Michael Snyder,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In fact, official government tallies show that foreign direct investment last year was $288 billion — slightly less than the previous year and below average for the last 10 years.—
Scott Horsley,
NPR,
2 Apr. 2026
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The film is expected to generate at least $175 million overseas, which would bring its global tally to somewhere around $360 million to $375 million.—
Rebecca Rubin,
Variety,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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See round ups for Fort Worth-area teams and scores from around the state.—
Darren Lauber,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
1 Apr. 2026
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The man who crashed an explosive-laden truck into a Michigan synagogue where scores of children were at daycare acted as an operative of Hezbollah, the foreign terrorist organization based in Lebanon, federal officials said March 30.—
Michael Loria,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tale. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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