American English
/tʰoʊld̚/
One syllable.
Form of tell
Told is both the past form and the past participle of tell.
Communicated information to someone by speaking or writing.
Practice out loudCommunicated information to someone by speaking or writing.
I told my friend about the party.
I have told you the truth.
In this meaning, told usually comes before the person who receives the information, not before to.
Gave someone an instruction or strong advice about what to do.
My parents told me to study hard.
The teacher has told us to finish our homework.
Shared a story, joke, or personal experience by speaking.
She told us a funny story yesterday.
He has told that joke before.
Recognized the difference between things or understood something from what you saw or heard.
She finally told the twins apart by their voices.
I could have told the difference between the two colors immediately.
say what is true
Please tell the truth.
recognize the difference between two people or things
I can never tell these brothers apart.
inform a person in authority that someone did something wrong, usually to get that person in trouble
Don’t tell on me to the teacher.
The past and past participle are told. The -ing form is telling, with double l.