"told" meaning in English

See told in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

IPA: /təʊld/ [Received-Pronunciation], [ˈtʰɔʊ(ɫ)d] [Received-Pronunciation], [ˈtʰɒʊ(ɫ)d] [Received-Pronunciation], /tɛlt/ [Northumbria], /tɛld/ [Northumbria], /toʊld/ [General-American], /tɐʉld/ [Australia, New-Zealand], [tʰɒʊ(ɫ)d] [Australia, New-Zealand] Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Pvanp7-told.wav [UK], En-us-told.ogg [General-American] Forms: telled [alternative, Northern-England, Scotland], telt [alternative, Northern-England, Scotland], tol' [alternative]
enPR: tōld [General-American] Rhymes: -əʊld Etymology: From Middle English tolde, talde (first and third person singular preterite), from Old English tealde (first and third person singular preterite), from Proto-Germanic *talid-, preterite stem of Proto-Germanic *taljaną (“to count; tell”), equivalent to tell + -ed. Etymology templates: {{inh|en|enm|tolde}} Middle English tolde, {{inh|en|ang|tealde|pos=first and third person singular preterite}} Old English tealde (first and third person singular preterite), {{der|en|gem-pro|*talid-}} Proto-Germanic *talid-, {{der|en|gem-pro|*taljaną||to count; tell}} Proto-Germanic *taljaną (“to count; tell”), {{suffix|en|tell|ed|nocat=1}} tell + -ed Head templates: {{head|en|verb form}} told
  1. simple past and past participle of tell Tags: form-of, participle, past Form of: tell Synonyms: telt Derived forms: aforetold
    Sense id: en-told-en-verb-TYnuOP6~ Categories (other): English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 5 entries, Pages with entries

Alternative forms

{
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "tolde"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tolde",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "tealde",
        "pos": "first and third person singular preterite"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English tealde (first and third person singular preterite)",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*talid-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *talid-",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*taljaną",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to count; tell"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *taljaną (“to count; tell”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tell",
        "3": "ed",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "tell + -ed",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English tolde, talde (first and third person singular preterite), from Old English tealde (first and third person singular preterite), from Proto-Germanic *talid-, preterite stem of Proto-Germanic *taljaną (“to count; tell”), equivalent to tell + -ed.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "telled",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "telt",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tol'",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "verb form"
      },
      "expansion": "told",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 5 entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "derived": [
        {
          "word": "aforetold"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              19,
              23
            ]
          ],
          "text": "A tale is but half told, if only one person tells it.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "form_of": [
        {
          "word": "tell"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "simple past and past participle of tell"
      ],
      "id": "en-told-en-verb-TYnuOP6~",
      "links": [
        [
          "tell",
          "tell#English"
        ]
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "telt"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/təʊld/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[ˈtʰɔʊ(ɫ)d]",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[ˈtʰɒʊ(ɫ)d]",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Pvanp7-told.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/85/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Pvanp7-told.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Pvanp7-told.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/85/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Pvanp7-told.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Pvanp7-told.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/tɛlt/",
      "tags": [
        "Northumbria"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/tɛld/",
      "tags": [
        "Northumbria"
      ]
    },
    {
      "enpr": "tōld",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/toʊld/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-told.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/61/En-us-told.ogg/En-us-told.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/En-us-told.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/tɐʉld/",
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "New-Zealand"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[tʰɒʊ(ɫ)d]",
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "New-Zealand"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-əʊld"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "tolled"
    }
  ],
  "word": "told"
}
{
  "derived": [
    {
      "word": "aforetold"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "tolde"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English tolde",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "tealde",
        "pos": "first and third person singular preterite"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English tealde (first and third person singular preterite)",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*talid-"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *talid-",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*taljaną",
        "4": "",
        "5": "to count; tell"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *taljaną (“to count; tell”)",
      "name": "der"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "tell",
        "3": "ed",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "tell + -ed",
      "name": "suffix"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From Middle English tolde, talde (first and third person singular preterite), from Old English tealde (first and third person singular preterite), from Proto-Germanic *talid-, preterite stem of Proto-Germanic *taljaną (“to count; tell”), equivalent to tell + -ed.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "telled",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "telt",
      "tags": [
        "alternative",
        "Northern-England",
        "Scotland"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "tol'",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "verb form"
      },
      "expansion": "told",
      "name": "head"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English non-lemma forms",
        "English terms derived from Middle English",
        "English terms derived from Old English",
        "English terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
        "English terms inherited from Middle English",
        "English terms inherited from Old English",
        "English terms with homophones",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verb forms",
        "Pages with 5 entries",
        "Pages with entries",
        "Rhymes:English/əʊld",
        "Rhymes:English/əʊld/1 syllable"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              19,
              23
            ]
          ],
          "text": "A tale is but half told, if only one person tells it.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "form_of": [
        {
          "word": "tell"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "simple past and past participle of tell"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "tell",
          "tell#English"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "form-of",
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/təʊld/",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[ˈtʰɔʊ(ɫ)d]",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[ˈtʰɒʊ(ɫ)d]",
      "tags": [
        "Received-Pronunciation"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Pvanp7-told.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/85/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Pvanp7-told.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Pvanp7-told.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/85/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Pvanp7-told.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Pvanp7-told.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "UK"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/tɛlt/",
      "tags": [
        "Northumbria"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/tɛld/",
      "tags": [
        "Northumbria"
      ]
    },
    {
      "enpr": "tōld",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/toʊld/",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "audio": "En-us-told.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/6/61/En-us-told.ogg/En-us-told.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/En-us-told.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "General-American"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/tɐʉld/",
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "New-Zealand"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "[tʰɒʊ(ɫ)d]",
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "New-Zealand"
      ]
    },
    {
      "rhymes": "-əʊld"
    },
    {
      "homophone": "tolled"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "telt"
    }
  ],
  "word": "told"
}

Download raw JSONL data for told meaning in English (3.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-08-28 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-08-05 using wiktextract (872fc7b and 4deed51). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.