"tell time" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "From tell in the sense of “count”.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tells time",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "telling time",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "told time",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "told time",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "tell<,,told> time"
      },
      "expansion": "tell time (third-person singular simple present tells time, present participle telling time, simple past and past participle told time)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Ancient civilizations told time at night by the passage of stars.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To measure time, to determine the current time."
      ],
      "id": "en-tell_time-en-verb-Zh7U9D1t",
      "links": [
        [
          "measure",
          "measure"
        ],
        [
          "time",
          "time"
        ],
        [
          "determine",
          "determine"
        ],
        [
          "current",
          "current"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "keep time"
        }
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "80 20",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to measure time",
          "word": "donner l’heure"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "80 20",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to measure time",
          "word": "chronométrer"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "5 95",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "7 93",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Entries with translation boxes",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 92",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "5 95",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 89",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with French translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 92",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Terms with Portuguese translations",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He couldn't tell time until he was in his teens.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To read the time as displayed on an analog clock."
      ],
      "id": "en-tell_time-en-verb-tULZ5Qws",
      "links": [
        [
          "read",
          "read"
        ],
        [
          "display",
          "display"
        ],
        [
          "analog clock",
          "analog clock"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(specifically) To read the time as displayed on an analog clock."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "specifically"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to read a clock",
          "word": "donner l’heure"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to read a clock",
          "word": "dire l’heure"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "0 100",
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "to read a clock",
          "word": "ler as horas"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "51 49",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ],
      "word": "tell the time"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tell time"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English verbs",
    "Entries with translation boxes",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Terms with French translations",
    "Terms with Portuguese translations"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From tell in the sense of “count”.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "tells time",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "telling time",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "told time",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "told time",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "tell<,,told> time"
      },
      "expansion": "tell time (third-person singular simple present tells time, present participle telling time, simple past and past participle told time)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "Ancient civilizations told time at night by the passage of stars.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To measure time, to determine the current time."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "measure",
          "measure"
        ],
        [
          "time",
          "time"
        ],
        [
          "determine",
          "determine"
        ],
        [
          "current",
          "current"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "keep time"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He couldn't tell time until he was in his teens.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To read the time as displayed on an analog clock."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "read",
          "read"
        ],
        [
          "display",
          "display"
        ],
        [
          "analog clock",
          "analog clock"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(specifically) To read the time as displayed on an analog clock."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "specifically"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ],
      "word": "tell the time"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to measure time",
      "word": "donner l’heure"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to measure time",
      "word": "chronométrer"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to read a clock",
      "word": "donner l’heure"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to read a clock",
      "word": "dire l’heure"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "to read a clock",
      "word": "ler as horas"
    }
  ],
  "word": "tell time"
}