tell the time
1. To keep track of the current time of day. My grandfather's old pocketwatch doesn't tell the time anymore, but I really like the look of having it on me.
2. To be able to understand the time of day by looking at an analog clock or watch. Now that many young children carry phones around with them, it's becoming harder and harder to teach them how to tell the time.
tell the ˈtime
(British English) (American English tell ˈtime) read the time from a clock, etc: She’s only five — she hasn’t learnt to tell the time yet.