| 单词 | tell |
| 释义 | tell (tel ) Word forms: tells , telling , told 1. verb A1 If you tell someone something, you give them information. In the evening I returned to tell Phyllis our relationship was over. [VERB noun that] I called Andie to tell her how spectacular the stuff looked. [VERB noun wh] Claire had made me promise to tell her the truth. [VERB noun noun] I only told the truth to the press when the single was released. [VERB noun + to] Tell us about your moment on the summit. [VERB noun + about] Her voice breaking with emotion, she told him: 'It doesn't seem fair.' [VERB with quote] Synonyms: inform, notify, make aware, say to 2. verb A1 If you tell something such as a joke, a story, or your personal experiences, you communicate it to other people using speech. His friends say he was always quick to tell a joke. [VERB noun] He told his story to The Sunday Times and produced photographs. [VERB noun + to] Will you tell me a story? [VERB noun noun] Synonyms: describe, relate, recount, report 3. verb A2 If you tell someone to do something, you order or advise them to do it. A passer-by told the driver to move his car so that it was not causing an obstruction. [VERB noun to-infinitive] She told me on the telephone to come help clean the house. [VERB noun to-infinitive] Synonyms: instruct, order, command, direct 4. verb B2 If you tell yourself something, you put it into words in your own mind because you need to encourage or persuade yourself about something. 'Come on,' she told herself. [V pron-refl with quote] I told myself that I would be satisfied with whatever I could get. [V pron-refl that] 5. verb [no cont] If you can tell what is happening or what is true, you are able to judge correctly what is happening or what is true. It was already impossible to tell where the bullet had entered. [VERB wh] I couldn't tell if he had been in a fight or had just fallen down. [VERB wh] You can tell he's joking. [VERB that] Synonyms: see, make out, discern, understand 6. verb [no cont] B2 If you can tell one thing from another, you are able to recognize the difference between it and other similar things. I can't really tell the difference between their policies and ours. [V n + between] How do you tell one from another? [VERB noun + from] I had to look twice to tell which was Martin; the twins were almost identical. [VERB wh] Synonyms: distinguish, discriminate, discern, differentiate 7. verb B2 If you tell, you reveal or give away a secret. [informal] Many of the children know who they are but are not telling. [VERB] Synonyms: talk, tell tales, spill the beans [informal], give the game away 8. verb B2 If facts or events tell you something, they reveal certain information to you through ways other than speech. The facts tell us that this is not true. [VERB noun that] I don't think the unemployment rate ever tells us much about the future. [V n amount] The evidence of our eyes tells us a different story. [VERB noun noun] While most of us feel complacent about our diets, the facts tell a very different story. [VERB noun] Synonyms: reveal, show, indicate, disclose 9. verb If an unpleasant or tiring experience begins to tell, it begins to have a serious effect. The pressure began to tell as rain closed in after 20 laps. [VERB] The strains of office are beginning to tell on the prime minister. [VERB on noun] Synonyms: have or take effect, register [informal], weigh, have force 10. See also kiss-and-tell, telling 11. as far as one can tell/so far as one can tell phrase You use as far as I can tell or so far as I could tell to indicate that what you are saying is based on the information you have, but that there may be things you do not know. [vagueness] As far as I can tell, Jason is basically a nice guy. So far as anyone can tell, there's evidence that there was a Robin Hood. As far as I could tell, neither of us was under observation. 12. I tell you/I can tell you/I can't tell you convention B2 You can say 'I tell you', 'I can tell you', or 'I can't tell you' to add emphasis to what you are saying. [informal, emphasis] I tell you this, I will not rest until that day has come. This little letter gave us a few chuckles, I can tell you. I can't tell you how glad I was to leave that place. 13. you never can tell convention If you say 'You never can tell', you mean that the future is always uncertain and it is never possible to know exactly what will happen. You never can tell what life is going to bring you. 14. I told you so convention If someone disagrees with you or refuses to do what you suggest and you are eventually proved to be right, you can say 'I told you so'. [informal] If she failed, her mother would say, 'I told you so.' 15. I'll tell you what/I tell you what convention You use I'll tell you what or I tell you what to introduce a suggestion or a new topic of conversation. [spoken] I tell you what, I'll bring the water in a separate glass. 16. to tell the time phrase B2 If a child can tell the time, they are able to find out what the time is by looking at a clock or watch. My four-year-old daughter cannot quite tell the time. 17. time will tell phrase If you say that time will tell whether something is true or correct, you mean that it will not be known until some time in the future whether it is true or correct. Only time will tell whether Broughton's optimism is justified. I can't see any problems, but time will tell. Phrasal verbs: tell against phrasal verb If a feature or characteristic tells against someone, it spoils their chance of success when they are being considered for something, for example a job. His record of misjudgments tells against him. [VERB PARTICLE noun] tell apart phrasal verb B2 If you can tell people or things apart, you are able to recognize the differences between them and can therefore identify each of them. The almost universal use of flavourings makes it hard to tell the products apart. [VERB noun PARTICLE] tell off phrasal verb B1 If you tell someone off, you speak to them angrily or seriously because they have done something wrong. He never listened to us when we told him off. [VERB noun PARTICLE] I'm always being told off for being so awkward. [be VERB-ed + for] Dutch police told off two of the gang, aged 10 and 11. [VERB PARTICLE noun] tell on phrasal verb If you tell on someone, you give information about them to a person in authority, especially if they have done something wrong. [informal] Never mind, I won't tell on you. [VERB PARTICLE noun] I'll tell my mummy on you. [VERB noun PARTICLE noun] Idioms: live to tell the tale to survive a dangerous or frightening experience Michael Sproule was attacked by a shark. He lived to tell the tale but underwent emergency surgery for multiple injuries. Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers tell tales to tell lies or reveal secrets about someone, so that they get into trouble She had no right to tell tales to his mother! Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers tell someone where to get off to tell someone in a rude and forceful way that you cannot accept what they are saying or doing If somebody said that to me, I'd tell them where to get off. Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers dead men tell no tales said to mean that someone who is dead cannot reveal the truth about what caused their death Hanley told police the gun went off accidentally while Mr Khan was playing with it. `These statements were a cover-up,' Mr Spencer told the jury. `Hanley killed Mr Khan. He knows that dead men tell no tales.' Easy Learning Idioms Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers Translations: Chinese: 告诉, 吩咐, 看出 Japanese: 告げる, ･･･と命令する, ･･･と分かる |
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