ENGLISH
REFERENCE

tell all

idiom
Meaning

To reveal everything, particularly information that is normally withheld.

Examples
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.

Anchors to
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 April 17, 2026