The difference between Relate and Tell
When used as verbs, relate means to tell in a descriptive way, whereas tell means to count, reckon, or enumerate.
Tell is also noun with the meaning: a reflexive, often habitual behavior, one occurring in a context that often features attempts at deception by persons under psychological stress (such as a poker game or police interrogation), that reveals information that the person exhibiting the behavior is attempting to withhold.
check bellow for the other definitions of Relate and Tell
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Relate as a verb (transitive):
To tell in a descriptive way.
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Relate as a verb (transitive):
To give an association.
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Relate as a verb (transitive):
To make a connection or correlation between one thing and another.
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Relate as a verb (intransitive):
To have a connection.
Examples:
"I find it difficult to relate to others because I'm extremely introverted''."
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Relate as a verb (intransitive):
To interact.
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Relate as a verb (intransitive):
To respond through reaction.
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Relate as a verb (intransitive, with '''to'''):
To identify with; to understand.
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Relate as a verb (obsolete):
To bring back; to restore.
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Tell as a verb (transitive):
To count, reckon, or enumerate.
Examples:
"All told, there were over a dozen.  Can you tell time on a clock?  He had untold wealth."
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Tell as a verb (transitive):
To narrate.
Examples:
"I want to tell a story;  I want to tell you a story."
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Tell as a verb (transitive):
To convey by speech; to say.
Examples:
"Finally, someone told him the truth.  He seems to like to tell lies."
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Tell as a verb (transitive):
To instruct or inform.
Examples:
"Please tell me how to do it."
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Tell as a verb (transitive):
To order; to direct, to say to someone.
Examples:
"'Tell him to go away."
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Tell as a verb (intransitive):
To discern, notice, identify or distinguish.
Examples:
"Can you tell whether those flowers are real or silk, from this distance?  No, there's no way to tell."
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Tell as a verb (transitive):
To reveal.
Examples:
"Time will tell what became of him."
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Tell as a verb (intransitive):
To be revealed.
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Tell as a verb (intransitive):
To have an effect, especially a noticeable one; to be apparent, to be demonstrated.
Examples:
"Sir Gerald was moving slower; his wounds were beginning to tell."
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Tell as a verb:
To use beads or similar objects as an aid to prayer.
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Tell as a verb (intransitive, childish):
To inform someone in authority about a wrongdoing.
Examples:
"I saw you steal those sweets! I'm going to tell!"
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Tell as a verb:
To reveal information in prose through outright expository statement -- contrasted with show
Examples:
"Maria rewrote the section of her novel that talked about Meg and Sage's friendship to have less telling and more showing."
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Tell as a noun:
A reflexive, often habitual behavior, one occurring in a context that often features attempts at deception by persons under psychological stress (such as a poker game or police interrogation), that reveals information that the person exhibiting the behavior is attempting to withhold.
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Tell as a noun (archaic):
That which is told; a tale or account.
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Tell as a noun (internet):
A private message to an individual in a chat room; a whisper.
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Tell as a noun (archaeology):
A hill or mound, originally and especially in the Middle East, over or consisting of the ruins of ancient settlements.