Tattle

Quick meaning: Tattle is a verb meaning (intransitive) To chatter; to gossip.

Meaning

(intransitive) To chatter; to gossip.

More Meanings

1. (intransitive, obsolete) To speak like a baby or young child; to babble, to prattle; to speak haltingly; to stutter.
2. (countable) A tattletale.
3. (uncountable) Idle talk; gossip; (countable) an instance of such talk or gossip.
4. (countable, Canada, US, derogatory) Often said of children: a piece of incriminating information or an account of wrongdoing that is said about another person.
5. (intransitive, Canada, US, derogatory) Often said of children: to report incriminating information about another person, or a person's wrongdoing in an annoying fashion, usually to a person in a position of authority over the accused person; to tell on somebody.

Example Sentences

Nor can any Man be either wiſe or happy till he hath arrived to that greatneſs of Mind, that no more conſiders the tatling of the multitude than the whiſtling of the Wind.

Vera is a kindergarten student who loves to be the center of adult attention. She has a quick temper and frequently talks out in class. She also frequently "tattles" on other students.

He were an excellent man that were made iuſt in the mid-way between him and Benedick, the one is too like an image and ſaies nothing, and the other too like my ladies eldeſt ſonne, euermore tatling.

She tattled on: first to one, then to the other—then to all, till she had tattled herself out of breath;—and then the orthodox half hour had expired, and the bell was rung, and the carriage ordered, and Mrs. Hare rose to depart.

Word Forms

• tattles
• tattling
• tattled

Synonyms for tattle

Depending on context, synonyms include prattle, informant, gossiper, chatter, clatfart, goss.

Related Words

Related dictionary entries include blab, tittle-tattle, chatter, prattle, gabble, prate.

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