tattler

[ tat-ler ]

noun

1. a person who tattles; telltale.
2. either of two shorebirds of the genus Heteroscelus, having a loud, whistling cry.
3. any of various related shorebirds having shrill cries, as the yellowlegs.
4. a small bass, Serranus phoebe, of the West Indies and Florida.

ˈtattler

/ ˈtætlə /

noun

1. a person who tattles; gossip
2. any of several sandpipers of the genus Heteroscelus, such as H. incanus ( Polynesian tattler ), of Pacific coastal regions

Word History and Origins

Origin of tattler¹

First recorded in 1540–50; tattle + -er ¹

Example Sentences

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 to compete with The Post.

From New York Times

There is nothing worse than a tattler, so I keep my mouth shut.

From Literature

RUDY: Cousin Michael’s been a known liar and a tattler for years.

From New York Times

I know they're full of parchment that hold questions and tattlers replete with speculation about what happened to me.

From Literature

The numbers in species such as the gray-tailed tattler that don’t rely heavily on the mudflats remained about stable over that time, they discovered.

From Science Magazine