Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for told off
Verb
-
Using unseen footage from Presley’s 1969 to 1976 Las Vegas residency, the movie plays the hits – plus The Beatles and Simon & Garfunkel – but also showcases his sense of humor, quipping with crowds and cutting up with bandmates.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
12 June 2026 -
And so they were cut up into pieces.—
Michael Soncin,
Vanity Fair,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Zesica Striped Wide-leg Pants Pinstripe trousers are a must-have in my wardrobe for their year-round versatility and ability to elevate any outfit, whether styled for professional settings or dressed down for casual, travel-friendly looks.—
Julia Morlino,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
-
This elegant sky blue style can be dressed up with strappy heels and jewelry or dressed down with raffia ballet flats to work for a variety of dress codes.—
Jordan Julian,
InStyle,
22 May 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
-
This time, however, Charlotte promptly scolded him for his untoward behavior.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
13 June 2026
-
Four years ago, Infantino scolded critics during a news conference ahead of the opener in Qatar.—
Carlos Rodriguez,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
One upbraided Tufty for this comment.—
Eric Adler
June 4,
Kansas City Star,
4 June 2026
-
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
Verb
-
As 404 Media reports, Northern District of Mississippi judge Sharion Aycock berated everybody involved in a sanctions order, ultimately fining them, canceling the trial, and barring half of them from appearing in the district’s court for two years.—
Victor Tangermann,
Futurism,
11 June 2026
-
Prosecutors said the victim was constantly yelled at, berated and not allowed to go outside unattended.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
He’s punished for trying to do the right thing.—
Josh Weiss,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
-
Other companies’ stocks also have been punished recently for announcing heavy spending on AI, as the question remains whether such investments will produce the profits and productivity that AI proponents are promising.—
Stan Choe,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 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.
Cite this Entry
“Told off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/told%20off. Accessed 19 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
