Verb
“You should never have done that,” she scolded.
he scolded the kids for not cleaning up the mess they had made in the kitchen Noun
He can be a bit of a scold sometimes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
How much worse to scold someone who has not yet done anything wrong — an adult, in fact, who has gone to some trouble in the hopes of enjoying an evening out!—Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 5 June 2024 Bronny would have to learn the pro game with his father hovering over every move, judging, advising, lecturing, maybe even occasionally scolding.—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2024
Noun
Don’t be a scold, don’t be a moaner, don’t be a finger-wagging elitist, don’t be an eco-bore, don’t be a mentally ill homeless guy.—James Parker, The Atlantic, 5 May 2022 His showdowns with the head of the local diocese, played as a puckish scold by Malcolm McDowell, are some of the best in the film.—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Apr. 2022 See all Example Sentences for scold
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'scold.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English scald, scold, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse skāld poet, skald, Icelandic skālda to make scurrilous verse
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