tell a different story
idiom
: to show that something different is true from what someone says is true
He said he wasn't at the scene of the crime, but the fingerprints tell a different story.
Examples of tell a different story in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Our government—particularly in Southern California—claims to act in the name of progress and public good, but its actions often tell a different story.
—
Mimi Robson, Oc Register, 2 July 2025
While some companies publicly distance themselves from ESG terminology, their actions tell a different story when faced with shareholder interests.
—Suresh Basnet, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Despite speculation about the cast’s rising stardom in Hollywood with a yearn to tackle new projects on the horizon, contracts tell a different story.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 26 June 2025
But the Harbin skull still contains enough of its original proteins to tell a different story: A few of them matched specific proteins from Denisovan bones and teeth, as encoded in Denisovan DNA.
—ArsTechnica, 18 June 2025
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Mimi Robson, Oc Register, 2 July 2025
While some companies publicly distance themselves from ESG terminology, their actions tell a different story when faced with shareholder interests.
—Suresh Basnet, Forbes.com, 27 June 2025
Despite speculation about the cast’s rising stardom in Hollywood with a yearn to tackle new projects on the horizon, contracts tell a different story.
—Clayton Davis, Variety, 26 June 2025
But the Harbin skull still contains enough of its original proteins to tell a different story: A few of them matched specific proteins from Denisovan bones and teeth, as encoded in Denisovan DNA.
—ArsTechnica, 18 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for tell a different story
Cite this Entry
“Tell a different story.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20a%20different%20story. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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