as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
dressed down for boorish behavior at the dance
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dress down
This cropped style, below, is a no-brainer in any winter wardrobe rotation, whether worn dressed down with a baggy blue jean and preppy penny loafer or up with a dazzling party dress and strappy heeled sandal.
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Laura Jackson, Vogue, 2 Dec. 2024
Perfect for travel, the pants can be dressed up with a cute pair of comfortable flats or dressed down with an oversized sweatshirt for an overnight flight or train ride.
—Taylor Fox, Travel + Leisure, 28 Dec. 2024
Her mob-boss-style dressing down of Shannon Beador; dealing with her friend Nicole James, who lied about suing Terry Dubrow; and her hatred of Noella Bergener gave her a barn burner of a season 16.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2024
Her father, meanwhile, dressed down for the occasion and wore a Terrifier T-shirt, a black cap and gray jeans.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dress down 
Laura Jackson, Vogue, 2 Dec. 2024
Perfect for travel, the pants can be dressed up with a cute pair of comfortable flats or dressed down with an oversized sweatshirt for an overnight flight or train ride.
—Taylor Fox, Travel + Leisure, 28 Dec. 2024
Her mob-boss-style dressing down of Shannon Beador; dealing with her friend Nicole James, who lied about suing Terry Dubrow; and her hatred of Noella Bergener gave her a barn burner of a season 16.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2024
Her father, meanwhile, dressed down for the occasion and wore a Terrifier T-shirt, a black cap and gray jeans.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 20 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dress down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress down
Verb
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What leads children to be scolded for poor behavior can snowball into difficulties keeping a job, maintaining healthy relationships, and even staying out of prison.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2025
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And despite being scolded by school administrators for it and having to file a lawsuit, more and more students began to show up each week wearing the shirts, as the school had to alter its dress code and start placing students in detention for wearing them.—
Jackson Thompson,
Fox News,
31 Jan. 2025
Verb
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On one occasion, Aldous Huxley lectured on the lurid life of the Renaissance visionary Carlo Gesualdo.—
Alex Ross,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
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Marcy Thompson: The couple moved to Berlin, where Rudolf was invited to lecture for the German Social Democratic Party.—
Marcy Thompson,
Scientific American,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
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In 2011, in the southern city of Daraa, a group of teen-age boys were caught painting anti-government graffiti on a wall, and, rather than simply reprimand them, secret police tortured them to death.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
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However, the post by TikTok Policy claims that internet hosting services will not be reprimanded for restoring the platform under Trump.—
Greta Cross,
USA TODAY,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Trail Cams Go To War Trail Cams could be used like the sensors in Igloo White, to call down attacks on logistics vehicles by FPV drones.—
David Hambling,
Forbes,
21 Jan. 2025
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This ranges from being able to call down lightning strikes, to conjuring twisters, to freezing foes solid with sub-zero temperatures.—
Griff Griffin,
Newsweek,
9 Jan. 2025
Verb
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After calling for a moment of silence in the White House press briefing room on Thursday, Trump went on the attack, blaming the tragedy on his Democratic predecessors and their emphasis on diversity in hiring.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA TODAY,
31 Jan. 2025
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President Trump questions if DEI policies are to blame In the immediate aftermath of the crash, President Trump said he had been briefed on the incident and offered his condolences.—
Ayana Archie,
NPR,
31 Jan. 2025
Verb
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There’s also a story line of Harper being chewed out by Petra when Petra finds out how Harper actually got the information necessary to short Pierpoint, i.e., illegally.—
Nina Li Coomes,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2024
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In the following scene, which marks a turning point between Emily and Luke, Emily chews out Luke for pushing a deal that ends up costing their firm $25 million.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
6 Oct. 2023
Verb
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Trump used the signing ceremony as an opportunity to criticize Canada, with continuing negotiations between him and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau amid threats of 25% tariffs from both sides.—
Naomi Lim,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
3 Feb. 2025
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Legislative Democrats continue to criticize Lee's proposal for its lack of accountability measures, among other aspects.—
Vivian Jones,
The Tennessean,
3 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near dress down
Cite this Entry
“Dress down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20down. Accessed 10 Feb. 2025.
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