English Reference
Idiom idiom

tell all


To reveal everything, particularly information that is normally withheld.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

“Tell all about your trip to the beach.”

CONTEXTUAL

“The celebrity promised to tell all about her life in a new book.”

COMPLEX

“After years of silence, the former official decided to tell all, revealing the hidden details of the government project.”


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    a little bird told me

    I received the information from a source which I am not prepared to disclose.

  2. 02

    all told

    With everything included, counted, or summed; in total.

  3. 03

    don't tell me

    Used to introduce a guess at a fact or situation, as if forestalling the other speaker's utterance.

  4. 04

    I can tell you

    Emphasises the truth of a statement.

  5. 05

    I tell a lie

    I am mistaken; I thought that what I said (or wrote) was true, but I have just realised that it is not.

  6. 06

    I tell you

    Synonym of I can tell you.

  7. 07

    I'll tell you

    Synonym of I can tell you.

  8. 08

    kiss and tell

    To betray a confidence by disclosing private information, especially of a sexual nature.

Last updated August 10, 2026