tattler

noun

ˈtat-lər How to pronounce tattler (audio)
Definition of tattlernext
as in informant
a person who provides information about another's wrongdoing as the office's resident tattler, she can be counted on to report any unauthorized use of the photocopiers

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tattler Tattling to the Bachelor doesn’t always go well for the tattler. — Kristen Baldwin, EW.com, 25 Feb. 2025 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 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tattler
  1. informant
  2. informer
  3. canary
  4. tattletale
  5. rat
  6. reporter
Noun
  • Information for the charges came from multiple sources, including citizen informants, who had observed Wolff hunting on their property, observations made by wardens while on patrol, and surveillance.
    — David Zeug, Outdoor Life, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Of course, the agency must protect confidential information, including the identities of informants, but the path of its decision-making should be made clear.
    — Charity Ryerson, Footwear News, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of informant
Noun
  • One of State Security’s main goals, as well as a central source of its strength, is turning civilians into informers.
    — Abraham Jiménez Enoa, The Dial, 19 May 2026
  • And so every regime invests in having student informers.
    — Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 23 Jan. 2026
Definition of informer
Noun
  • Dollywood thus became our Disneyland — from the Tennessee Tornado to the Wild Eagle to the Mystery Mine with the dead canary collapsing before the big drop.
    — Chris Jones, New York Daily News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Interspersed throughout the myriad activations of Monterey Car Week is the most important facet for the collector community, and that’s the array of auctions that serve as either an optimistic barometer reading or an ailing canary in the coal mine.
    — Viju Mathew, Robb Report, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of canary
Noun
  • That kid has tattletale energy.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 7 Apr. 2026
  • People who come forward are called narcs, tattletales and snitches.
    — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 26 Feb. 2026
Definition of tattletale
Noun
  • There were swarms of flies and numerous rats at, near or on the bodies.
    — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • But human colonization several hundred years ago introduced predators such as cats and rats that wiped out most of the kakapo.
    — Adela Suliman, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of rat
Noun
  • The referendum campaign has fueled debate about Iceland’s place in the world, Prime Minister Kristrun Frostadottir told reporters after casting her ballot in ​the capital on Saturday.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Canales told reporters postgame that Evans’ absence was related to a neck injury.
    — Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of reporter

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tattler
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Cite this Entry

“Tattler.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tattler. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on tattler

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tattler

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