told off

Definition of told offnext
past tense of tell off
See the Dictionary Definition 

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for told off
Verb
  • In the photos, the former teammates are seen celebrating wins on the court, relaxing on vacation and cutting up during practice.
    Anna Lazarus Caplan, PEOPLE, 13 May 2026
  • Because the rings were found intact and not cut up for currency, this suggests they were not used for trade but instead served a symbolic purpose, likely decorative, communicating status, wealth, and power.
    Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 10 May 2026
Verb
  • Think of ranch water as a dressed down margarita that's hard to mess up.
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026
  • It can be easily dressed up for dinner with nice shoes, as well as comfortably dressed down with sandals or sneakers for the pool or exploring the ship.
    Emily Belfiore, Travel + Leisure, 20 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • On that night in March, to the surprise of nobody, Arsenal ran their mid-table Premier League hosts ragged, beating them 5-1, with Henry and Freddie Ljungberg scoring twice, and Kolo Toure netting the other.
    Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Being chewed out was nothing new, part of life as a football player.
    Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
  • About eight or nine hours into a punishing shoot, nerves were fraying, and Mike McGuirk was getting chewed out by a camera operator.
    Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Katie Porter scolded, Tom Steyer channeled Bernie.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
  • The victim said he was singled out for laughing, scolded, and told to continue reading before being ordered into the hallway.
    Peter D'Oench, CBS News, 5 May 2026
Verb
  • At a hearing two days after the government dropped its charges against Baraka, the judge upbraided Stephen Demanovich, a federal prosecutor who had been assigned the case.
    Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
  • During cross-examination, he was upbraided for long answers that did not immediately answer the question he had been asked.
    Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • I’ve been berated by my daughter and my wife (who was sleeping) for overreacting and being rude for two days now.
    Joe Kinsey OutKick, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026
  • Growing up in an Irish immigrant family, Dolan was frequently beaten by his mother who consistently mocked and berated him.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Europe has for years tried to isolate the Russian leader and punished his country with international sanctions.
    Hanna Arhirova, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
  • Card policy is supposed to be enforced by the city finance director and lapses are to be punished by cancelation of card access.
    Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 14 May 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Told off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/told%20off. Accessed 20 May. 2026.

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