tattler

noun

tat·​tler ˈtat-lər How to pronounce tattler (audio)
ˈta-tᵊl-ər
1
2
: any of various slender long-legged shorebirds (such as the willet, yellowlegs, and redshank) of the sandpiper family with a loud and frequent call

Examples of tattler in a Sentence

as the office's resident tattler, she can be counted on to report any unauthorized use of the photocopiers
Recent Examples on the Web Mortimer Zuckerman, the owner, hired him to replace a British editor who had turned it from a brash, tough-guy paper into a tattler of celebrity gossip and supermarket tabloid stunts. Robert D. McFadden, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Aug. 2020 Being a tattler or someone who is too focused on the drama rarely works out, largely because those dudes are more focused on screen time than the lead. Martha Sorren, refinery29.com, 20 June 2019 There are social repercussions for kids who develop a reputation as tattlers: they get left out. K. Lori Hanson Ph.d., miamiherald, 8 Mar. 2018 Dwight and Eugene remain at an ideological impasse, but Eugene is too busy waffling between his morality and his desire to stay alive to actually pick a side—and for reasons unknown, Dwight hasn’t found a way to simply ax the potential tattler. Laura Bradley, HWD, 3 Dec. 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tattler.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tattler was in 1550

Dictionary Entries Near tattler

Cite this Entry

“Tattler.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tattler. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tattler

noun
tat·​tler ˈtat-lər How to pronounce tattler (audio)
-ᵊl-ər

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