From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishtell the timetell the timeBritish English, tell time American EnglishTIME/WHAT TIME IS IT to be able to know what time it is by looking at a clock → tell
Examples from the Corpus
tell the time• But her hand was shaking so much that she could not tell the time.• So your watch should tell the time accurately.• Time Be able to tell the time and understand times expressed in terms of 12- and 24-hour clocks.• Because it is inexpensive, burning incense-sticks to tell the time continued to be used down to the present century.• After all, you have been telling the time for years, haven't you?• The clock did a lot more besides telling the time of day.• These star charts were provided to enable the deceased to tell the time of night or the date in the calendar.• Functional rather than ostentatious, for telling the time rather than for telling others who he was. 