to tattle
8
7.0
- verb
- /ˈtætəl/
- Informal
:
delatar
- The least helpful things that adults can do are to tell bullied students to stop tattling or to ignore the bullying altogether.
I hope you weren't planning on tattling, Ellen.
- I hope you weren't planning on tattling, Ellen.
- Bam on their desk and I would leave voicemails for him like hey man, because they would call and tattle on each other.
Examples
-
Additionally, students with special needs were told not to tattle on others.
Academic text (2015) -
Look, I'm sorry that I tattled on you two.
-
Sounds like and looks like the little girl was trying to "tattle" on her.
Blog text (19) -
"Why did you have to tattle on me?" he wondered.
Fiction book (1993) -
Toby might tattle on you.
-
Last time she tattled, I got grounded for a week.
-
You know we've never tattled on each other.
Fiction book (1994) -
I didn't tattle on him when he scooted out to the bathroom when there was bad work to do.
Fiction book (1992) -
I hope you weren't planning on tattling, Ellen.
-
She refused to tattle on her friend, even when pressured to do so.
Synonyms
∞
2.7
Report someone's actions to the police or an authority
164
4.5
To reveal secret information, often by mistake
143
4.6
Tell someone's secret to other people
114
3.4
Tell a secret on purpose or by accident
76
8.6
To tell the police or another authority about someone's bad action, betraying their trust
70
8.4
To tell secret information to the police or other officials
41
6.8
To secretly tell the police about someone's illegal actions
36
7.9
To secretly tell the police or a person in charge about someone's bad actions
35
4.4
To report to a person in charge that someone did something wrong so they get in trouble
21
7.4
To tell secrets without thinking
18
6.0
Tell a secret by accident before others know
12
6.3
To tell someone a secret that should be kept
6
7.8
To talk too much and tell secrets carelessly
5
5.1
To tell a secret that should be kept
5
7.5
To tell a person in charge that someone did something wrong to get them in trouble
3
5.3
Tell secret information carelessly to others
2
9.9
To tell authorities secret information about someone to get them in trouble
1
8.4
To tell secrets about someone to other people
1
8.5
To tell private or bad things about someone to other people
1
5.5
To tell a secret by accident and spoil a surprise
1
7.9
To tell a secret carelessly or without meaning to
To tell secrets without thinking
Antonyms
Phrasal Verbs
- Informal
5
7.5
To tell a person in charge that someone did something wrong to get them in trouble
Compounds
How Disloyal
- Slang
36
7.9
- Informal
76
8.6
- Informal
8
7.0
- Informal
35
4.4
686
1.6
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Etymology
Tattle is easy to remember because of the child phrase tattletale, where tale means 'story' and the phrase names someone who tells on others. So to tattle is to reveal secrets or tell on someone in a petty or childish way.