tell

verb (KNOW)

/tel/ (told, told)

Definition

B2 [I or T] to know, recognize, or be certain: "He's Dutch." "How can you tell?" [+ (that)] I could tell (that) you were unhappy.Knowing and learning B2 [T] If something tells you something, it gives you information: What does the survey tell us about the lives of teenagers? tell the difference C1 to notice a difference in quality between two things: This coffee is about half the price of that one and yet you really can't tell the difference.Identifying tell sb's fortune (also tell fortunes) › to say what will happen in someone's future: At the fair, there was a lady who told your fortune.Predicting things and intuition tell the time › to be able to understand a clock: My daughter has just learned to tell the time.Watches and clocks there is no telling › there is no way of knowing: There is no telling what the future will hold for them.Predicting things and intuition you never can tell B2 (also you can never tell) › said to mean that you can never know or be certain: Who knows what will happen to Peter and me in the future - you can never tell.UncertaintyHesitatingAchievable

(Definition of tell verb (KNOW) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)