bawling out

verb

present participle of bawl out
as in scolding
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings got bawled out by the boss for missing another important deadline

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bawling out
  1. scolding
  2. lecturing
  3. reprimanding
  4. calling down
  5. dressing down
  6. blaming
Verb
  • From behind a tree, Neil and Florence observed Brenda scolding little Neil.
    — S. M. Reznik, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026
  • By the time his daughter shows up, flanked by her mom and upright dentist stepdad, Lee’s moved on from scolding the room to thanking his mother for believing him.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of scolding
Verb
  • Respondents in England and Australia were more likely to associate teaching with institutional, credentialed and paid professional roles, such as nursing, lecturing and social work.
    — Gustavo E. Fischman, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • For decades, Zinn traveled the country lecturing to packed auditoriums.
    — Barbara Spindel, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of lecturing
Verb
  • Instead of reprimanding his pet, Linnetz seems to recognize the moment as a potentially good shot.
    — Julissa James, Los Angeles Times, 10 Sep. 2026
  • The audience awkwardly chuckles, and Scovel, eyes still closed, begins reprimanding them.
    — Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of reprimanding
Verb
  • This year, the irrigators began calling down water on July 1, boosting flows in the Colorado River.
    — Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 16 July 2026
Definition of calling down
Verb
  • And there’s a useful distinction between dressing down to make someone else comfortable and being thoughtful about the signals your clothes send.
    — Morgan Sullivan, Glamour, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Like Bezos, whose Sun Valley uniform has included jeans with T-shirts and polo shirts, many of the male tech executives are dressing down.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 10 July 2026
Definition of dressing down
Verb
  • The Wall Street Journal reported that Musk ordered the shift, a claim that was bolstered by statements from Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth blaming Musk’s SpaceX for any change.
    — Dave Goldiner, New York Daily News, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner earlier in October said that Lewis was acquitted in a previous murder case, blaming police misconduct for the outcome.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of blaming
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.

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Bawling out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bawling%20out. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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