[noun] [C] - a story or report, esp. one which might be invented or difficult to believeThe children love his tales about pirates and smugglers.He told some fascinating tales about his life in India.She told me/invented/concocted a tale about missing the bus to explain her lateness.I asked how he was and he gave me a real tale of woe (= report of bad things which had happened to him).
TALE
Meaning of TALE in English
Cambridge English vocab. Кембриджский английский словарь. 2012