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
Quick up, quick down The most recent cautionary tale is Avis.
—
Zev Fima, CNBC, 29 May 2026
King Arthur manuscript goes on sale A rare medieval manuscript featuring early tales of King Arthur and Merlin, which has been in private hands for about 700 years, is heading to auction with an eye-popping price tag.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
The staggering amount of money — more than $8 million — that has poured in from outside groups in just the past several weeks is a tell-tale sign of how heated this race is.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 28 May 2026
While just a simulation, one verging on the edge of science fiction, the results prove a cautionary tale as AI moves from a mere tool to operating autonomous systems.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tale
Zev Fima, CNBC, 29 May 2026
King Arthur manuscript goes on sale A rare medieval manuscript featuring early tales of King Arthur and Merlin, which has been in private hands for about 700 years, is heading to auction with an eye-popping price tag.
—Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
The staggering amount of money — more than $8 million — that has poured in from outside groups in just the past several weeks is a tell-tale sign of how heated this race is.
—Linh Tat, Daily News, 28 May 2026
While just a simulation, one verging on the edge of science fiction, the results prove a cautionary tale as AI moves from a mere tool to operating autonomous systems.
—Jake Angelo, Fortune, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tale
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tale
Noun
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Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
30 May 2026
-
This two-story house has three bedrooms and four bathrooms.—
Bay Area Home Report,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
Noun
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Rain early in the week resulted in preferred lies for those in the fairways, and that meant players were dialed in and firing at pins.—
Jeff Hartman,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2026
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History and tradition lie at every turn.—
Alex Kalinauckas,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
Noun
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Ali Raz is a fiction writer, essayist, and author of the collaborative poetry project Human Tetris and the novella Alien.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
18 May 2026
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Can wrote her first novella, Yellow Mud Street (1987), at her sewing machine in between taking care of customers.—
René Ostberg,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
7 May 2026
Noun
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By Miller’s count, Fiebig had become one of the most prolific shot-stoppers in the state — in part because, well, U-46’s opponents rarely lacked for scoring chances.—
Andrew Carter,
Chicago Tribune,
24 May 2026
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And then in a 2-2 count to Sal Frelick, Sasaki threw a fastball up and out of the zone.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
Noun
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Now, Anthropic is in talks to raise at a $900 billion valuation, a number that would eclipse even OpenAI — with whispers of an IPO later this year.—
Iain Martin,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
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Some of those who dared to express even a whisper of relief at his death were vilified online and arrested.—
Nabil Salih,
Time,
26 May 2026
Noun
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Clark Shotwell plays the airplane enthusiast who gets a taste of first class – and chicken cordon bleu – flying with his actress mom to Hollywood in a throwback fable from a kid's perspective.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
29 May 2026
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Wygodny has written original music to subtly accompany Booth’s fable, lending the emotional subtext at points a penumbra of cello.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
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Liverpool limped home fifth in the Premier League — confirming Champions League qualification on the final day with just 60 points, their lowest tally for a decade and 24 fewer than in 2024-25.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
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The same showing also takes place on the Hot Country Songs, Country Streaming Songs and Country Digital Song Sales tallies.—
Hugh McIntyre,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
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Kevin McGonigle punched a ground ball inside the first-base line, for a two-run triple, tying the score.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
27 May 2026
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With just one Real Madrid shirt in sight, the score in Putumayo’s El Clasico is 3-1 to Barcelona.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tale.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tale. Accessed 30 May. 2026.
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