to tattle
1
7.1
- verb
- /ˈtætəl/
- Informal
:
chismear
- Whenever they gather, they tend to tattle on each other's secrets.
Examples
-
" Jennifer is furious with Jon for walking around, letting it all hang out," tattles a pal.
Blog text (13) -
The girls made a tattle box together during one of their sessions, along with slips of paper for them to tattle all day long if they wanted to.
Blog text (25) -
Now, girls, stop this tittle-tattling and just get on with your breakfast, please.
-
And when we get back, nobody's gonna tattle.
-
But you're not supposed to tattle.
-
So far, our tattle box has been working great, and the girls are slowly beginning to realize how silly some of the things they tattle about are.
Blog text (25) -
I can't believe you're tattling.
-
Don't tattle.
Fiction book (2002) -
She loves to tattle about the little things that happen in class.
-
He always tattles on his friends when they break the rules.
Synonyms
86
2.7
To talk quickly and without stopping about unimportant things
27
1.3
To talk about other people's private lives and share rumors
22
6.8
To talk about other people's private lives
21
7.4
To tell secrets without thinking
14
3.4
Talk excitedly about something, often sharing news or rumors
11
6.8
Talk about an idea or name without careful thought
9
8.4
To talk on and on in a silly way about unimportant things
6
7.8
To talk too much and tell secrets carelessly
5
6.6
To talk for a long time about small boring things
3
5.3
Tell secret information carelessly to others
3
8.4
To talk quickly about small, unimportant things
1
9.9
To say rude, bragging things to impress people or make them angry
1
7.9
To talk quickly and unclearly so others cannot understand you
1
9.9
To talk for a long time about things that do not matter
1
9.4
To talk for a long time about unimportant things
1
8.5
To tell private or bad things about someone to other people
Talk in a light, silly way about other people
To talk for a long time about unimportant things in a silly way
To talk in a slow, unclear way about unimportant things
To talk or act in a silly, unimportant way
To tell secrets without thinking
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
5
7.5
To tell a person in charge that someone did something wrong to get them in trouble
Compounds
How Gossipy
- Informal
21
7.4
- Informal
27
1.3
- Informal
1
7.1
9
8.4
86
2.7
- Informal
269
1.0
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tattle sounds like a small, quick tale ('story'), and the repeated, childlike sound makes you imagine light gossip or chattering. So to tattle is to talk quickly and a lot about small, unimportant things.