tell off

verb

told off; telling off; tells off

transitive verb

1
: reprimand, excoriate
told him off for his arrogance
2
: to number and set apart
especially : to assign to a special duty
told off a detail and put them to opening a trench J. F. Dobie

Examples of tell off in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Rivera’s sharp sense of style, hanging out and making plans, eating sticky rice and ketchup, telling off old boyfriends and listening to music. Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025 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

Word History

First Known Use

1727, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of tell off was in 1727

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tell off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20off. Accessed 10 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

tell off

verb
: scold entry 2 sense 2, reprimand
told him off for spreading rumors

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Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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