Collocations for "telling"
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word "telling" in context.
WordReference English Collocations © 2025
tell
ⓘMost examples are given in US English. We have labeled exceptions as UK.v
- tell a [secret, lie, fib, joke]
- don't tell [lies, fibs, stories, tales]
- told us the [news, truth, secret]
- tell me the truth
- tell a story (about)
- tell tall [stories, tales]
- tell her side of the story
- tell it how it is
- tell me what you [think, want, heard, decide]
- tell me your opinion
- tell me when you decide
- tell her everything
- tell her you love her
- don't tell [him, anyone]
- need to tell [a friend, someone] (about)
- someone should tell him that
- let me tell you [all about it, everything]
- can't tell you [when, if, where, what, how]
- promise you won't tell [anyone, a soul]?
- (please) don't tell me [you've, you're]
- were told to [come, go, be quiet]
- can tell when [you're lying, you've made a mistake]
- can tell the difference (between)
- can tell you changed your [hair, glasses]
- you can't always tell [which, who, what]
- is not always easy to tell
- [cannot, hard to] tell the [two, twins, sisters] apart
- [cannot] tell them apart
- told [them, the children] off (for)
- going to tell (the teacher, your parents) on you (for)
- tell on your little [brother, sister]
- [history, legend] tells of a [land, time, king]
'telling' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
I
- any
- apology
- appreciate
- confidence
- embarrass
- end
- fault
- fond
- fortune
- grin
- guilty
- hell
- humor
- installation
- job
- joke
- keep
- lie
- meter
- next
- picnic
- pleasure
- point
- quote
- satisfied
- severe
- show
- shrink
- shy
- simply
- stare
- stop
- story
- strict
- surely
- tacky
- tale
- timing
- trick
- trust
- truth
- way
- whip
- white