as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
got bawled out by the boss for missing another important deadline
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Recent Examples of bawl out
As my mother bawled out her lungs, the doctor and the nurses remained speechless, stunned not only by my disproportionate weight but also by my appearance: a Chinese Buddha whose eyes were unmoving, untrusting.
—
Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Trippier and Burn are organisers and not afraid to bawl out their team-mates.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Women stopped to bawl out the police, who accepted this dressing-down with quiet embarrassment.
—National Geographic, 11 Aug. 2020
Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026
Trippier and Burn are organisers and not afraid to bawl out their team-mates.
—George Caulkin, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
Women stopped to bawl out the police, who accepted this dressing-down with quiet embarrassment.
—National Geographic, 11 Aug. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawl out
Verb
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Princess Charlotte scolded her little brother Prince Louis during Trooping the Colour in 2024.—
Alicia Brunker,
InStyle,
11 June 2026
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Four years ago, Infantino scolded critics during a news conference ahead of the opener in Qatar.—
Carlos Rodriguez,
Chicago Tribune,
10 June 2026
Verb
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In September 1975, Applewhite visited a small town in Oregon to lecture its residents about how and why UFOs were visiting Earth.—
Savannah Walsh,
Vanity Fair,
8 June 2026
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Universities lecture athletes about fiscal responsibility while writing eight-figure checks for coaches not to work.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Earlier this week, Scott Agness claimed his press credentials were revoked by the team after his reporting led to the WNBA reprimanding the Fever for not being transparent about Clark’s health status during a game on May 20.—
Anna Lazarus Caplan,
PEOPLE,
5 June 2026
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Behind closed doors, ProPublica revealed, the majority-Republican state Supreme Court quashed the commission’s recommendations that two Republican judges who’d admitted to committing egregious conduct violations be publicly reprimanded.—
Doug Bock Clark,
ProPublica,
5 June 2026
Verb
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Iran blamed the United States for the escalation.—
Jon Gambrell,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
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The leftist indoctrination in K-12 schools, as well as universities, is largely to blame for the youth vote’s enthusiasm for socialism and communism.—
Betsy McCaughey,
Boston Herald,
8 June 2026
Verb
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It was widely reported that team president Masai Ujiri went into Casey’s office after Game 3 to chew out the coach for not preparing his team better to defend James’ memorable game-winner over OG Anunoby, who is now a Knick.—
Eric Koreen,
New York Times,
27 May 2026
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True freshman receiver Hayden Moore from has been an early surprise challenger for first-team reps in spring ball, but the Gainesville, Fla., native, who just left high school, was chewed out and then subbed off for messing up early in Tuesday’s practice.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Raman wasn’t endorsed by any of her colleagues on the City Council, and she has been criticized by some community leaders in her district for not paying close enough attention to their concerns.—
Noah Goldberg,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
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The Grand Prix has been criticized as a processional where Saturday hot laps decide the result.—
Sahil Kapur,
NBC news,
7 June 2026
Verb
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After leaving the field at the end of the third, Fried walked into the tunnel leading to the visitors’ clubhouse, flanked by pitching coach Matt Blake, who immediately called down to the bullpen to have Paul Blackburn warm up.—
Chris Kirschner,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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Even the New York State Police had been called down to join, and were standing around in their purple ties and Dudley Do-Right hats.—
Erin Vanderhoof,
Vanity Fair,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bawl out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawl%20out. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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