- tell time
- tell time1. Lit. to keep or report the correct time. •
This clock doesn't tell time very accurately.
•My watch stopped telling time, so I had to have it repaired.
2. Fig. to be able to read time from a clock or watch. •Billy is only four. He can't tell time yet.
•They are teaching the children to tell time at school.
* * *{v. phr.} To read a clock or watch. * /Although Johnny is only three years old, he is already able to tell time./
Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.