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Meaning & use

tattle tale

noun·Everydayinformaldisapproving

Last updated

UK/ˈtætl teɪl/
US/ˈtæt̬l teɪl/
Usage warning: this word is disapproving. It shows a negative opinion, so take care with who and what you use it about.

Meaning

  1. nouncountableinformaldisapproving

    a person, especially a child, who tells an adult about other people's small mistakes or bad behavior.

    Grammar: Countable: use a/an or the plural tattle tales.

    Patterns

    • call someone a tattle tale
    • a tattle tale about something

    My little brother is such a tattle tale that he tells Mom every time I forget to feed the dog.

    The kids at school called her a tattle tale because she reported who broke the window.

    Don't be a tattle tale; try to solve the problem with your friend first.

Word forms

pluraltattle tales

Common combinations

a little tattle tale
He's a little tattle tale who runs to the teacher about everything.
call someone a tattle tale
If you tell on them, they will call you a tattle tale.
tattle tale on someone
She was a tattle tale on her classmates, which made her unpopular.

Synonyms and how they differ

informant
Informant is a formal or serious word for someone who gives information to authorities, not for a child telling on a friend.
snitch
Snitch is stronger and more slang; it often suggests betraying someone to the police or a rival group.

Word family

tattle verb
to tell an adult about someone's small mistakes or bad behavior.
tattletale noun
a variant spelling of tattle tale.

Commonly confused: tattle tale or tattle?

tattle tale vs tattle

Tattle is the verb (to tell on someone); tattle tale is the person who does it.

Practice

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