TELL ON Synonyms: 85 Similar and Opposite Words

tell (on)

verb

Definition of tell (on)

as in to affect

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

as in to talk

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

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for tell (on)

Verb

In its demo version, included on the 20th-anniversary reissue, the song is emotional and politely affecting.

— Shaad D’Souza, Pitchfork, 11 Oct. 2026
The Salty, an artisanal doughnut chain, is running a weeklong campaign benefiting the Breasties, a nonprofit that helps many groups of people affected by breast cancer.

— Henri Hollis, AJC.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of affect

Verb

Sitting in one of the ship’s myriad bars and talking to strangers is one of the most interesting, and often lovely, things a person can do on board.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Wells' friends said Wells did not return to the mainland with them, choosing instead to stay behind to talk with a girl, a claim his family has disputed.

— ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of talk

Verb

At the opening, Lafayette 148 NorthPark will feature its fall 2026 collection, including exclusive leather colorways created for Dallas, precise tailoring and signature white shirts informed by the archives and three decades of craftsmanship.

— Lisa Lockwood, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
Livia’s unease informs her skepticism of politics; in linking the two, Kingsolver conflates class and culture, using the former as an excuse for what really just seems to be Livia’s constitutional conservatism.

— Sam Worley, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of inform

Verb

The textile dissolved in the making process, leaving its pattern impressed in clay.

— Kristen Flanagan, Architectural Digest, 6 Oct. 2026
That still leaves plenty to be impressed by because the machine has to stay upright, recover from contact and turn those commands into real physical movement inside the cage.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of impress

Verb

This is a special advisory to report that Florida is currently impacted by Category 2 Hurricane Isaias, which has made landfall on Friday night.

— MIAMI HERALD HURRICANE BOT, Miami Herald, 10 Oct. 2026
And here’s how the storm is impacting events across the metro area on Saturday.

— AJC.com, AJC.com, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of impact

Verb

Norma Mitchell, cofounder of the business and grandmother of its current top executives, died of the disease, and many other family members, employees and customers have been touched by it.

— Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
Consequently, international gold prices experienced downward pressure, briefly touching their lowest level since August 5th during intraday trading.

— , CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of touch

Verb

The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces overnight struck targets in Ukraine's southern Odesa region on the Black Sea coast with drones.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Traffic in the Strait of Hormuz has largely rebounded, but only at great risk to tankers, 20 of which have been struck in the last month, suggesting recovery could be unsustainable.

— Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of strike

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.

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tell off

tell (on)

tells

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“Tell (on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tell%20%28on%29. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of tell (on)

verb

Example Sentences

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