What is the meaning of telling?

noun

• An act of narration.
  • usage: "he was the hero according to his own relation"; "his endless recounting of the incident eventually became unbearable"
  • synonyms: relation, recounting
• Informing by words.
  • synonyms: apprisal, notification
• Disclosing information or giving evidence about another.
  • synonyms: tattle, singing

verb

• Express in words.
  • usage: "He said that he wanted to marry her"; "tell me what is bothering you"; "state your opinion"; "state your name"
  • synonyms: state, say, tell
• Let something be known.
  • usage: "Tell them that you will be late"
  • synonyms: tell
• Narrate or give a detailed account of.
  • usage: "Tell what happened"; "The father told a story to his child"
  • synonyms: tell, narrate, recount, recite
• Give instructions to or direct somebody to do something with authority.
  • usage: "I said to him to go home"; "She ordered him to do the shopping"; "The mother told the child to get dressed"
  • synonyms: order, tell, enjoin, say
• Discern or comprehend.
  • usage: "He could tell that she was unhappy"
  • synonyms: tell
• Inform positively and with certainty and confidence.
  • usage: "I tell you that man is a crook"
  • synonyms: assure, tell
• Give evidence.
  • usage: "he was telling on all his former colleague"
  • synonyms: tell, evidence
• Mark as different.
  • usage: "We distinguish several kinds of maple"
  • synonyms: distinguish, separate, differentiate, secern, secernate, severalize, severalise, tell, tell apart

adjective

• Disclosing unintentionally.
  • usage: "a telling smile"; "a telltale panel of lights"; "a telltale patch of oil on the water marked where the boat went down"
  • synonyms: revealing, telltale
• Powerfully persuasive.
  • usage: "a cogent argument"; "a telling presentation"; "a weighty argument"
  • synonyms: cogent, weighty
• Producing a strong effect.
  • usage: "gave an impressive performance as Othello"; "a telling gesture"
  • synonyms: impressive