telling (on)

verb

Definition of telling (on)next
present participle of tell (on)
1
as in affecting
to act upon (a person or a person's feelings) so as to cause a response the pressure of final exams is beginning to tell on the students in the dorm

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in talking
to give information (as to the authorities) about another's improper or unlawful activities detectives convinced the perpetrators in custody to tell on their associates

Synonyms & Similar Words

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for telling (on)
  1. affecting
  2. talking
  3. informing
  4. striking
Verb
  • Some experts speculate that the reason the disease is affecting so many children is because many of them wore masks, stayed home when sick and did not attend daycare or venture out in public with their parents as often because of COVID-19 restrictions.
    George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
  • The Die Hard actor is battling frontotemporal dementia (FTD), which can cause the lobes in the brain to shrink, affecting behavior, language, and more, according to Mayo Clinic.
    George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Definition of affecting
Verb
  • Create Polls and Ask Questions Polls get people talking, and LinkedIn’s algorithm rewards it.
    William Arruda, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more!
    Leonard David, Space.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Definition of talking
Verb
  • Worst practices In-house production has been reduced or outsourced, and in 2023 Elsevier began using AI during production without informing the board, resulting in many style and formatting errors, as well as reversing versions of papers that had already been accepted and formatted by the editors.
    Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2024
  • That’s what happened when Slay, sidelined for three fourth-quarter plays, ran back onto the field after informing one defensive back coach but not the other.
    Brooks Kubena, The Athletic, 22 Dec. 2024
Definition of informing
Verb
  • There were other chances, goals ruled out, Murphy striking the crossbar, and then Joelinton gilded the scoreline after intercepting a pass out from Amadou Onana that straddled negligence and criminality.
    George Caulkin, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
  • The infamous railroad viaduct has been the site of several crashes in the years that followed, including drivers striking the cement support beams.
    Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 27 Dec. 2024
Definition of striking
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Thesaurus Entries Near telling (on)

telling off

telling (on)

tell (of)

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Telling (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telling%20%28on%29. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.

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