less common spelling of telly
British, informal
: television
… I asked parents what they thought of children's telly.—
Vanessa Feltz
Vanessa FeltzWhile you were doing your couch potato number in front of the telly last Sun., 67-yr-old Zadu Taft was swimming across the Golden Gate …—Berb Caen
Berb CaenIs there any truth to the hundreds of pieces of advice we hear from aunt Jane, who 'saw it on the tele'?—Patrick Holler
Patrick Holler
variants
or tel-
1
: distant : at a distance : over a distance
telegram
2
a
: telegraph
teletypewriter
b
: television
telecast
c
: telecommunication
telemarketing
Cite this Entry
“Tele.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tele. Accessed 27 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
