tattletale

[ tat-l-teyl ]
/ ˈtæt lˌteɪl /

noun

a talebearer or informer, especially among children.

adjective

telltale; revealing: a tattletale smear of lipstick on his collar.

Origin of tattletale

An Americanism dating back to 1885–90; tattle + tale

Words nearby tattletale

Example sentences from the Web for tattletale

  • He wanted a dog to help him hunt, but he did not want a tattletale.

  • Course, I didn't need to worry, because Stinky told them all right, just like a tattletale.

  • That First Lieutenant of ours either has eyes in the back of his head or else the Sergeant is a tattletale.

    Conscript 2989 |Irving Crump

British Dictionary definitions for tattletale

tattletale
/ (ˈtætəlˌteɪl) /

noun mainly US and Canadian

a scandalmonger or gossip
another word for telltale (def. 1)