1 A2 idiomatic informal
To report someone's bad behaviour to a parent, teacher, or other authority figure.
"If you keep pulling my hair, I'm going to tell on you to the teacher."
inseparable
tell on
A2 informal inseparable transitive
To report someone's bad behaviour to a person in authority, or to have a visible negative effect on someone.
In plain English
To go and tell a teacher or parent that someone else did something bad — or for something to start showing it's harming you.
What does "tell on" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B2 idiomatic neutral
To have a visible and negative effect on someone, showing in their appearance or behaviour.
"The years of hard work were beginning to tell on his health."
inseparable
Usage tip
The 'reporting' sense is very common among children and considered childish or petty when used by adults. The 'negative effect' sense (e.g. 'the stress is telling on him') is more formal and can be used at any age.
Words that pair with "tell on"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
teacher mum dad stress age years
How to conjugate "tell on"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
tell on
I/you/we/they
3rd person
tells on
he/she/it
Past simple
told on
yesterday
Past participle
told on
have + pp
-ing form
telling on
continuous
Hear "tell on" in the wild
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Other ways to say "tell on"
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