English · Phrasal verb Attested

tell off

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To number off (a group of soldiers); to divide up (soldiers) in this way.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Đếm và chia nhóm lính

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Examples

To equalize a battalion is to tell off a certain number of companies, usually eight, in such a manner that the several component parts shall consist of the same number of men.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To assign (someone) to a particular task, duty etc.; to depute, to allocate.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Giao nhiệm vụ hoặc công việc cụ thể

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To count off (numbers, members of a sequence etc.); to enumerate.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Đếm hoặc liệt kê

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “tell off” mean?

To number off (a group of soldiers); to divide up (soldiers) in this way.

Is “tell off” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.