Tell vs Command - What's the difference?
tell | command | Synonyms |
(lb) To count, reckon, or enumerate.
:
*1590 , (Edmund Spenser), (The Faerie Queene) , II.vii:
*:And in his lap a masse of coyne he told , / And turned vpsidowne, to feede his eye / A couetous desire with his huge threasury.
*1875 , Hugh MacMillan, The Sunday Magazine :
*:Only He who made them can tell the number of the stars, and mark the place of each in the order of the one great dominant spiral.
(lb) To narrate.
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*, chapter=7
, title= (lb) To convey by speech; to say.
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*, chapter=4
, title= (lb) To instruct or inform.
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*Bible, (w) xii. 18
*:Why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=5
, passage=But Miss Thorn relieved the situation by laughing aloud,
(lb) To order; to direct, to say to someone.
:
*(Charles Dickens) (1812-1870)
*:He told her not to be frightened.
*'>citation
*:Stability was restored, but once the re-entry propulsion was activated, the crew was told to prepare to come home before the end of their only day in orbit.
(lb) To discern, notice, identify or distinguish.
:
*
*:Captain Edward Carlisle, soldier as he was, martinet as he was, felt a curious sensation of helplessness seize upon him as he met her steady gaze, her alluring smile; he could not tell what this prisoner might do.
(lb) To reveal.
:
(lb) To be revealed.
*1990 , (Stephen Coonts), Under Siege, 1991 (Pocket Books) edition, ISBN 0671742949, p.409:
*:Cherry looks old, Mergenthaler told himself. His age is telling . Querulous — that's the word. He's become a whining, querulous old man absorbed with trivialities.
(lb) To have an effect, especially a noticeable one; to be apparent, to be demonstrated.
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*1859 (John Stuart Mill), (On Liberty)
*:Opinion ought [… to give] merited honour to every one, whatever opinion he may holdkeeping nothing back which tells', or can be supposed to ' tell , in their favour.
*{{quote-news, year=2011, date=September 18, author=Ben Dirs, work=BBC Sport
, title= A reflexive, often habitual behavior, (especially) one occurring in a context that often features attempts at deception by persons under psychological stress (such as a poker game or police interrogation), that reveals information that the person exhibiting the behavior is attempting to withhold.
That which is told; tale; account.
* Walpole
(internet) A private message to an individual in a chat room; a whisper.
(archaeology) A mound, originally in the Middle East, over or consisting of the ruins of ancient settlements.
An order to do something.
The right or authority to order, control or dispose of; the right to be obeyed or to compel obedience.
power of control, direction or disposal; mastery.
A position of chief authority; a position involving the right or power to order or control.
The act of commanding; exercise or authority of influence.
(military) A body or troops, or any naval or military force, under the control of a particular officer; by extension, any object or body in someone's charge.
* 1899 ,
Dominating situation; range or control or oversight; extent of view or outlook.
(computing) A directive to a computer program acting as an interpreter of some kind, in order to perform a specific task.
(baseball) The degree of control a pitcher has over his pitches.
To order, give orders; to compel or direct with authority.
* Francis Bacon
* Shakespeare
To have or exercise supreme power, control or authority over, especially military; to have under direction or control.
* Macaulay
* Shakespeare
To require with authority; to demand, order, enjoin.
* 2013 , Louise Taylor, English talent gets left behind as Premier League keeps importing'' (in ''The Guardian , 20 August 2013)[http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2013/aug/19/english-talent-premier-league-importing]
to dominate through ability, resources, position etc.; to overlook.
To exact, compel or secure by influence; to deserve, claim.
To hold, to control the use of.
* Motley
* Shakespeare
* Addison
(archaic) To have a view, as from a superior position.
* Milton
(obsolete) To direct to come; to bestow.
* Bible, Leviticus xxv. 21
In transitive terms the difference between tell and command
is that tell is to reveal while command is to hold, to control the use of.tell
English
Etymology 1
From (etyl) ((etyl) telja). More at tale.Verb
The Mirror and the Lamp, passage=“
Mr. Pratt's Patients, passage=I told him about everything I could think of; and what I couldn't think of he did. He asked about six questions during my yarn, but every question had a point to it. At the end he bowed and thanked me once more. As a thanker he was main-truck high; I never see anybody so polite.}}
Rugby World Cup 2011: England 41-10 Georgia, passage=But England's superior fitness told in the second half, with Delon Armitage, Manu Tuilagi and Chris Ashton (two) going over for tries to secure a bonus-point win.}}
Synonyms
* (enumerate) count * (narrate) narrate, recount, relateAntonyms
* (to instruct or inform) askDerived terms
* all told * tell against * tell all * tell-all * tell off * tell on * tell-tale / telltale * tell tales * tell tales out of school * tellerNoun
(en noun)- I am at the end of my tell .
See also
* dead giveawayEtymology 2
From (etyl) .Noun
(en noun)Statistics
* 200 English basic words English control verbs English irregular verbs English reporting verbs English verbs with two objects 1000 English basic words ---- ==Norwegian Bokmål==Verb
(head)command
English
Noun
(en noun)- I was given a command to cease shooting.
- to have command of an army
- he had command of the situation
- England has long held command of the sea
- a good command of language
- General Smith was placed in command .
- Command cannot be otherwise than savage, for it implies an appeal to force, should force be needful.'' (''H. Spencer , Social Statics, p. 180)
- I asked myself what I was to do there, now my boat was lost. As a matter of fact, I had plenty to do in fishing my command out of the river.
- He's got good command tonight.
Verb
(en verb)- The soldier was commanded to cease firing.
- The king commanded his servant to bring him dinner.
- We are commanded' to forgive our enemies, but you never read that we are ' commanded to forgive our friends.
- Go to your mistress: / Say, I command her come to me.
- to command an army or a ship
- Monmouth commanded the English auxiliaries.
- Such aid as I can spare you shall command .
- he commanded silence
- If thou be the son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (Mat. IV. 3.)
- The reasons for this growing disconnect are myriad and complex but the situation is exacerbated by the reality that those English players who do smash through our game's "glass ceiling" command radically inflated transfer fees.
- Bridges commanded by a fortified house. (Motley.)
- A good magistrate commands the respect and affections of the people.
- Justice commands the respect and affections of the people.
- The best goods command the best price.
- This job commands a salary of £30,000.
- The fort commanded the bay.
- bridges commanded by a fortified house
- Up to the eastern tower, / Whose height commands as subject all the vale.
- One side commands a view of the finest garden.
- Far and wide his eye commands .
- I will command my blessing upon you.