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tattle

(intransitive, Canada, US, pejorative) Often said of children: to report incriminating information about another person, or a person's wrongdoing in an annoying fashion, usually to a person in a posit

ˈtæt(ə)lCurrent278 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
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5 citations · last seen May 2026

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#1·Apr 27, 2026

(intransitive, Canada, US, pejorative) Often said of children: to report incriminating information about another person, or a person's wrongdoing in an annoying fashion, usually to a person in a position of authority over the accused person; to tell on somebody.

There are some children who just like to talk about others. They are not reporting. They are tattling, telling one negative after another. Their goal is to get others in trouble. Children sometimes do not mean to tattle about someone els…
Cluster: insult
Heard in the wild
  • “This is yet more unnamed source title tattle David, the drama isn't coming from Starmer it's coming from a media, who possibly haven't forgiven him for being head of the DPP when many journalists were prosecuted as part of Operation Elveden.”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Meanwhile the Guardian yet again has an article of pure title tattle based on unnamed sources. I was reminded the other day Starmer as head of the DPP authorised the prosecution of many journalists resulting from Operation Elveden”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “Well…. Would he go to them to tattle on who he perceives as god?”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
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#2·Apr 27, 2026

(intransitive) To chatter; to gossip.

Origin: From , tateren (modern , tateren), originally . The word is cognate with , , tadderen (whence modern ), , täteln. Compare also , dadull, and its alteration twaddle. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

Tattle means: To chatter; to gossip.. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

tattle means: To chatter; to gossip.. Register: neutral, standard English. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself. A formal-English equivalent (a synonym or descriptive phrase) is usually safer in writing. When in doubt, paraphrase rather than reuse the slang form.

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#3·Apr 27, 2026

(intransitive, obsolete) To speak like a baby or young child; to babble, to prattle; to speak haltingly; to stutter.

I trapped the girls inside their tent / Someone tattled on me / Put a frog in the bathroom vent / Someone tattled on me / Gave my dinner to a bear / Put a snake in Auntie's chair / And a tick in Gramp's rootbeer / Someone tattled on me
Heard in the wild
  • “tattle. i never cared for the vacuum breaker, even before earning the title”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
  • “@labouruk.bsky.social just a bit of advice - you’re going to have to get bolder in your policies if you’re going to survive this ! For example Get assisted dying bill through, rejoin Europe and reform the voting system …. stop the tittle tattle politics !!”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
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