tell time
idiom
US
: to be able to know what time it is by looking at a clock
My son is just learning to tell time.
Examples of tell time in a Sentence
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The point, however, is that this one doesn’t use the star-wheel complication to tell time, but instead good old hands around a straight-up dial.
—
Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2024
The atomic clock’s lynchpin is the electron—to tell time, researchers use a laser to coax the electrons to jump back and forth between two specific energy levels.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
These devices tell time, track fitness, and boost productivity.
—Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 19 Jan. 2024
Montblanc Technically, watches are no longer essential to tell time and mechanical sports watches certainly aren’t needed as survival tools.
—Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 22 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for tell time 
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Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 21 Oct. 2024
The atomic clock’s lynchpin is the electron—to tell time, researchers use a laser to coax the electrons to jump back and forth between two specific energy levels.
—Shi En Kim, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
These devices tell time, track fitness, and boost productivity.
—Stefanie Waldek, Travel + Leisure, 19 Jan. 2024
Montblanc Technically, watches are no longer essential to tell time and mechanical sports watches certainly aren’t needed as survival tools.
—Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 22 Dec. 2023
See all Example Sentences for tell time
Dictionary Entries Near tell time
Cite this Entry
“Tell time.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20time. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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