Tell is an irregular verb. Past tense and past participle: told. Full conjugation in all 12 tenses with examples and chart. Test of English Language Learning (TELL) is a language proficiency assessment to screen English language learners in grades K-12. Get it from Pearson. TELL meaning: 1. to say something to someone, often giving them information or instructions: 2. to say…. Learn more. Some common synonyms of tell are betray, disclose, divulge, and reveal. While all these words mean to make known what has been or should be concealed, tell implies an imparting of necessary or useful information. Sense group 1 is now most often found with words bearing a sense of ability, such as can tell or one way to tell. For many of the senses of tell, the word show would have a contrasting meaning, and in other senses, it would have a nearly identical meaning. To tell is to describe or announce something, either by speaking or writing. If you're going to be late to a movie, you should tell your friends so they can save you a seat. We produce high-quality, competitively priced commercial locksets, door closers, exit devices, hinges, trim hardware and commercial hollow metal doors. Define tell. tell synonyms, tell pronunciation, tell translation, English dictionary definition of tell. v. told , tell·ing , tells v. tr. 1. a. To communicate by speech or writing; express with words: She told him that the store was closed. Tell me the truth. TELL definition: 1. to say something to someone, often giving them information or instructions: 2. to say…. Learn more. reveal, disclose, divulge, tell, betray mean to make known what has been or should be concealed. reveal may apply to supernatural or inspired revelation of truths beyond the range of ordinary human vision or reason.