Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun One who tattles on others; an informer or talebearer.
- adjective Revealing; telltale.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- adjective
telltale ,giveaway - noun One who
tattles (reports others' wrongdoings), often by a child seeking attention. - noun One who
gossips , often for the sake of attention.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun someone who gossips indiscreetly
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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The penalty for such a violation was for the immediate surrender of the paper, which was soon retrieved by the stealth "tattletale" who was hovering on the periphery as his rival was subjected to disciplinary action.
timesunion.com: Local Breaking News webmaster@timesunion.com 2010
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The "tattletale" lights will make it easier for troopers to enforce traffic laws for failing to stop at red lights and failing to yield the right of way, he said.
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The new "tattletale" lights were installed last week on Highway 12 at the intersections of Highway 124 and Humorist Road in Burbank.
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The "tattletale" lights will make it easier for troopers to enforce traffic laws for failing to stop at red lights and failing to yield the right of way, he said.
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Reporting objectionable contents or activities has nothing to do with being a "tattletale" or "stoolpigeon", contrary to what is sometimes discussed in forums.
XING Blog » English Klaus Wiesmüller 2009
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"I hope they don't look at it that way," Lorentzen says when asked about the "tattletale" accusations sure to follow.
Latest News 2009
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The new "tattletale" lights were installed last week on Highway 12 at the intersections of Highway 124 and Humorist Road in Burbank.
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In an effort to curtail vehicles running red lights, "tattletale" lights have been installed at two intersections in the Burbank area.
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I counted Bill and Megan Romersma, whose place backed up to ours and whose son, Jared, Puddles and I had ditched earlier, because there was no way we were going to get away with this if that little tattletale had come along.
Chicken Craig Lancaster 2011
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Unfortunately, I can remember being taught, “No one likes a tattletale” in kindergarten by my teacher.
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