tale

noun
UK: /teɪl/
US: /teɪl/

  1. A story, often involving imaginary or exciting events.

    1. She told us a scary tale before bed. [ ] [ ]
    2. The old sailor spun a fantastic tale of sea monsters and buried treasure. [ ] [ ]

  2. A lie or piece of gossip.

    1. Don't believe his tale about winning the lottery. [ ] [ ]
    2. She dismissed the rumor as a tall tale designed to damage her reputation. [ ] [ ]

  3. An account or report of something that happened.

    1. The detective listened to his tale of woe. [ ] [ ]
    2. The survivors recounted their harrowing tale of survival after the earthquake. [ ] [ ]

Synonyms

story narrative account anecdote yarn lie fiction report

Frequently Asked Questions

The word "tale" in English means: A story, often involving imaginary or exciting events., A lie or piece of gossip., An account or report of something that happened..

The phonetic transcription of "tale" is /teɪl/ in British English and /teɪl/ in American English. Click the 🔊 button to hear both pronunciations.

Synonyms for "tale": story, narrative, account, anecdote, yarn, lie, fiction, report.

Example usage of "tale": "She told us a scary tale before bed.". More examples on the page.