as in to rail (at or against)
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Recent Examples of tell off
Moo's hilarious response to being told off is a textbook example of this temperament.
—
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
One scene, shows another donkey picking up a small goat and running around with it in their mouth, before being told off.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
Stephen King made a surprise return to X on Feb. 20 to tell off President Trump and Elon Musk, the latter of which owns the social media platform.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 21 Feb. 2025
Deliverance is a game about being told off for sleeping in other people's beds.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025
The West Coast rapper took to TikTok to share a 50 Cent meme where the Queens rapper was confused about being told off by Floyd Mayweather.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Two small feral-looking kids, ragged, both looked about seven years old, had been told off several times for knocking some of these flimsy chairs to one side as if to let the horse out.
—Ali Smith, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
The text overlay reads: POV you're being told off at 24 and 27.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
The Panathinaikos substitutes and coaches, arms locked on the touchline, were told off for encroaching onto the pitch.
—Nick Miller, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
One scene, shows another donkey picking up a small goat and running around with it in their mouth, before being told off.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
Stephen King made a surprise return to X on Feb. 20 to tell off President Trump and Elon Musk, the latter of which owns the social media platform.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 21 Feb. 2025
Deliverance is a game about being told off for sleeping in other people's beds.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025
The West Coast rapper took to TikTok to share a 50 Cent meme where the Queens rapper was confused about being told off by Floyd Mayweather.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Two small feral-looking kids, ragged, both looked about seven years old, had been told off several times for knocking some of these flimsy chairs to one side as if to let the horse out.
—Ali Smith, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
The text overlay reads: POV you're being told off at 24 and 27.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
The Panathinaikos substitutes and coaches, arms locked on the touchline, were told off for encroaching onto the pitch.
—Nick Miller, The Athletic, 16 Aug. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tell off
Verb
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Nothing beats the taste of a refreshing piece of watermelon on a hot day, so having some cut up and ready in the refrigerator is crucial as the days warm up.—
Kait Hanson,
Southern Living,
14 June 2025
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Sandoval had cut up furniture in a rage and could make their tough brother cry, says Matt Green.—
Erin Moriarty,
CBS News,
11 June 2025
Verb
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But to chew out his boss--Edwin Stanton, secretary of war--would be more than just getting close to the line of insubordination.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
12 Feb. 2025
-
Judge is chewing out the parties.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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This would keep the family large enough to deploy members to public events without running the dwindling royals ragged.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
8 June 2025
-
Roberts, who often looked to me like an English schoolboy—rumpled shirt, rep tie—had worked with Tina to transform the British magazine Tatler from a staid society rag into a place of mischief.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
Verb
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In the snaps, Basinger dressed down for the occasion in an olive green jacket, black sweatpants, black sunglasses and an oversized straw hat and black sunglasses.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
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Where Volodymyr Zelensky was essentially kicked out of the White House after being dressed down in the Oval Office, Ramaphosa held his ground.—
Zolan Kanno-Youngs,
New York Times,
21 May 2025
Verb
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The Rangers won the World Series thanks in part to a collection of blistering bats that punished quality pitchers.—
Mac Engel,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 June 2025
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The state then passed new laws aimed at punishing such gouging, and no new similar incidents have happened since then.—
Thomas Elias,
Mercury News,
6 June 2025
Verb
-
After the period, the TNT crew scolded Luostarinen for not keeping his stick on the ice.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
15 June 2025
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The estranged wife of actor Scott Wolf was seemingly detained by law enforcement during an Instagram livestream, during which she can be heard scolding officers and alleging she was abused.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2025
Verb
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My actual dining companion, dressed in her nonprofit workwear, was slack jawed at the precision of the seasoning.—
Caroline Hatchett,
Robb Report,
21 Apr. 2025
-
Jimmy Butler and Brooks jawing back and forth, leading to an elbow to the throat and slight shove to the ground.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Rather than lecturing, Kahn recommends guiding them to draw their own conclusions.—
Lydia Wang,
Parents,
20 May 2025
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Trump stated during his big speech on the trip that his administration was not there to lecture the region on how to deal with its affairs.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tell off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tell%20off. Accessed 20 Jun. 2025.
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