tattletale

noun

tat·​tle·​tale ˈta-tᵊl-ˌtāl How to pronounce tattletale (audio)
Synonyms of tattletalenext
chiefly US, informal
: someone (such as a child) who tells secrets about what someone else has done : one who tattles : informer

Synonyms

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Examples of tattletale in a Sentence

don't be such a tattletale and tell me about every little thing your sister does
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The two of them, as though after a party, would have stood at the sink cleaning dishes and wondering which among the attendees was the traitor, the tattletale. — Hazlitt, 26 July 2023 We’re basically guaranteed to see that thing where one person tells Zach that another person is there for the wrong reasons, but then the tattletale winds up consumed by their own vendetta and self-sabotages. — Andrea Marks, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tattletale was in 1888

Rhymes for tattletale

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tattletale
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Cite this Entry

“Tattletale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tattletale. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.

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Kids Definition

tattletale

noun
tat·​tle·​tale ˈtat-ᵊl-ˌtāl How to pronounce tattletale (audio)
informal
: a person who tattles

More from Merriam-Webster on tattletale

Nglish: Translation of tattletale for Spanish Speakers

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