Tell vs Find - What's the difference?
tell | find | Related terms |
(lb) To count, reckon, or enumerate.
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*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.
:
*, chapter=7
, title= (lb) To convey by speech; to say.
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*, chapter=4
, title= (lb) To instruct or inform.
:
*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.
To encounter or discover by accident; to happen upon.
* Shakespeare
* Cowley
To encounter or discover something being searched for; to locate.
*
, title=(The Celebrity), chapter=2
, passage=I had occasion […] to make a somewhat long business trip to Chicago, and on my return […] I found Farrar awaiting me in the railway station. He smiled his wonted fraction by way of greeting, […], and finally leading me to his buggy, turned and drove out of town.}}
* , chapter=10
, title= * {{quote-news, year=2011, date=January 25, author=Paul Fletcher, work=BBC
, title= * {{quote-magazine, date=2013-07-20, volume=408, issue=8845, magazine=(The Economist)
, title= To point out.
To decide that, to discover that, to form the opinion that.
* Shakespeare
* Cowley
* {{quote-book, year=1922, author=(Ben Travers), title=(A Cuckoo in the Nest)
, chapter=1 To determine or judge.
To arrive at, as a conclusion; to determine as true; to establish.
* Shakespeare
To discover by study or experiment direct to an object or end.
To gain, as the object of desire or effort.
To attain to; to arrive at; to acquire.
(archaic) To provide for; to supply; to furnish.
* London Times
* Charles Dickens
Anything that is found (usually valuable), as objects on an archeological site or a person with talent.
The act of finding.
In transitive terms the difference between tell and find
is that tell is to reveal while find is to arrive at, as a conclusion; to determine as true; to establish.In intransitive terms the difference between tell and find
is that tell is to have an effect, especially a noticeable one; to be apparent, to be demonstrated while find is to determine or judge.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)find
English
Verb
- Searching the window for a flint, I found / This paper, thus sealed up.
- In woods and forests thou art found .
The Mirror and the Lamp, passage=It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant.}}
Arsenal 3-0 Ipswich (agg. 3-1), passage=Van Persie scored a hat-trick against Wigan on Saturday and should have found' the net again after Bendtner ' found him at the far post but the Dutchman's header rebounded to safety off the crossbar.}}
Welcome to the plastisphere, passage=Plastics are energy-rich substances, which is why many of them burn so readily. Any organism that could unlock and use that energy would do well in the Anthropocene. Terrestrial bacteria and fungi which can manage this trick are already familiar to experts in the field. Dr Mincer and Dr Amaral-Zettler found evidence of them on their marine plastic, too.}}
- I find you passing gentle.
- The torrid zone is now found habitable.
citation, passage=“[…] the awfully hearty sort of Christmas cards that people do send to other people that they don't know at all well. You know. The kind that have mottoes
- to find''' a verdict; to '''find a true bill (of indictment) against an accused person
- to find his title with some shows of truth
- Water is found to be a compound substance.
- to find''' leisure; to '''find means
- Looks like he found himself a new vehicle!
- After a long flight, I now find myself in San Francisco.
- to find food for workmen
- He finds his nephew in money.
- Wages £14 and all found .
- Nothing a day and find yourself.