tell on
English edit
Verb edit
tell on (third-person singular simple present tells on, present participle telling on, simple past and past participle told on)
- (usually childish) To inform on, to rat out; to tell a person in authority that someone else has done something wrong.
- Synonym: (archaic) bewray
- My sister told on me when I didn't go to school.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Samuel 27:11:
- Lest they should tell on us, saying, So did David.
- To cause visible strain to.
- Years of drinking started to tell on his body.
Translations edit
to tell someone that someone else has done something wrong
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