tattle

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: tat=tle

CIDE DICTIONARY

tattle, v. i. [Akin to OE. tateren, LG. tateln, D. tateren to stammer, and perhaps to E. titter.].

•  To prate; to talk idly; to use many words with little meaning; to chat.  [1913 Webster]

  "The tattling quality of age, which is always narrative."  [1913 Webster]
•  To tell tales; to communicate secrets; to be a talebearer; as, a tattling girl.  [1913 Webster]

tattle, n. 

 Idle talk or chat; trifling talk; prate.  [1913 Webster]
"[They] told the tattle of the day."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

tattle, v. & n.
--v.
1 intr. prattle, chatter; gossip idly.
2 tr. utter (words) idly.
--n. gossip; idle or trivial talk.

Idiom

tattle-tale US a tell-tale, esp. a child.

Etymology

ME f. MFlem. tatelen, tateren (imit.)

THESAURUS

tattle

babble, back-fence gossip, be indiscreet, be unguarded, bear witness against, betray, betray a confidence, blab, blabber, blather, blether, blow the whistle, blurt, blurt out, buzz, chatter, chitchat, clatter, cry, divulge, fink, give away, gossip, gossiping, gossipmongering, gossipry, grapevine, groundless rumor, hearsay, idle talk, inform, inform against, inform on, jabber, leak, let drop, let fall, let slip, narc, natter, newsmongering, peach, piece of gossip, prate, prattle, rat, retail gossip, reveal, reveal a secret, rumble, rumor, scuttlebutt, sell out, sing, snitch, snitch on, spill, spill the beans, squeal, stool, story, tale, talebearing, taletelling, talk, tattle on, tell, tell idle tales, tell on, tell secrets, tell tales, testify against, tittle-tattle, turn informer

ROGET THESAURUS

tattle

Conversation

N conversation, interlocution, collocution, colloquy, converse, confabulation, talk, discourse, verbal intercourse, oral communication, commerce, dialogue, duologue, trialogue, causerie, chat, chitchat, small talk, table talk, teatable talk, town talk, village talk, idle talk, tattle, gossip, tittle-tattle, babble, babblement, tripotage, cackle, prittle-prattle, cancan, on dit, talk of the town, talk of the village, conference, parley, interview, audience, pourparler, tete-a-tete, reception, conversazione, congress, powwow, hall of audience, durbar, palaver, debate, logomachy, war of words, gossip, tattler, Paul Pry, tabby, chatterer, interlocutor, conversationist, dialogist, the feast of reason and the flow of soul, mollia tempora fandi, conversing, interlocutory, conversational, conversable, discursive, discoursive, chatty, colloquial, with thee conversing I forget all time.

VB talk together, converse, confabulate, hold on a conversation, carry on a conversation, join in a conversation, engage in a conversation, put in a word, shine in conversation, bandy words, parley, palaver, chat, gossip, tattle, prate, powwow, discourse with, confer with, commune with, commerce with, hold converse, hold conference, hold intercourse, talk it over, be closeted with, talk with one in private, tete-a-tete.

Disclosure

VB disclose, discover, dismask, draw the veil, draw aside the veil, lift the veil, raise the veil, lift up the veil, remove the veil, tear aside the veil, tear the curtain, unmask, unveil, unfold, uncover, unseal, unkennel, take off the seal, break the seal, lay open, lay bare, expose, open, open up, bare, bring to light, divulge, reveal, break, squeal, tattle, sing, rat, snitch, let into the secret, reveal the secrets of the prison house, tell, breathe, utter, blab, peach, let out, let fall, let drop, let slip, spill the beans, let the cat out of the bag, betray, tell tales, come out of school, come out with, give vent, give utterance to, open the lips, blurt out, vent, whisper about, speak out, make public, unriddle, split, acknowledge, allow, concede, grant, admit, own, own up to, confess, avow, throw off all disguise, turn inside out, make a clean breast, show one's hand, show one's cards, unburden one's mind, disburden one's mind, disburden one's conscience, disburden one's heart, open one's mind, lay bare one's mind, tell a piece of one's mind, unbosom oneself, own to the soft impeachment, say the truth, speak the truth, turn King's evidence, Queen's evidence, acknowledge the corn, raise the mask, drop the mask, lift the mask, remove the mask, throw off the mask, expose, lay open, undeceive, unbeguile, disabuse, set right, correct, open the eyes of, d_esillusionner, be disclosed, transpire, come to light, come in sight, become known, escape the lips, come out, ooze out, creep out, leak out, peep out, crop-out, show its face, show its colors, discover itself, break through the clouds, flash on the mind.