as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
I was called down by my supervisor for not catching the accounting error sooner
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Recent Examples of call down
Stokes apparently called down to Bell, who answered.
—
Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Tax cuts and spending cuts have to go hand in hand, otherwise the cycle starts all over again as deficit spending goes up and tax hikes come calling down the road to plug the hole.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2025
Still, the idea that someone not in the league can get called down from the stands to play in a game on a moment’s notice is one of hockey’s most unique traditions.
—Stephen Whyno, Twin Cities, 15 July 2025
Miles, the Manual student, noted how when she and her fellow bus riders were called down to the office to receive information on the return of transportation, almost all of them were Black.
—Grace Fridy, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
Upper apartments, though, were built without kitchens, since their owners might as well call down for room service.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 19 May 2025
Around that same time, Schuyler was called down to Albany to help negotiate a treaty with a group of Native Americans, leaving Brigadier General Richard Montgomery in charge of his forces.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 May 2025
But the game changer, a change in field practices that drove use of force on crisis calls down by 68% over a four-year period, was a different type of training — a mandatory one that Anderson helped craft.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 5 May 2025
The next day the family was called down to the station to pick up Skip.
—Janine Rubenstein, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Tax cuts and spending cuts have to go hand in hand, otherwise the cycle starts all over again as deficit spending goes up and tax hikes come calling down the road to plug the hole.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 23 July 2025
Still, the idea that someone not in the league can get called down from the stands to play in a game on a moment’s notice is one of hockey’s most unique traditions.
—Stephen Whyno, Twin Cities, 15 July 2025
Miles, the Manual student, noted how when she and her fellow bus riders were called down to the office to receive information on the return of transportation, almost all of them were Black.
—Grace Fridy, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
Upper apartments, though, were built without kitchens, since their owners might as well call down for room service.
—Adriane Quinlan, Curbed, 19 May 2025
Around that same time, Schuyler was called down to Albany to help negotiate a treaty with a group of Native Americans, leaving Brigadier General Richard Montgomery in charge of his forces.
—Eli Wizevich, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 May 2025
But the game changer, a change in field practices that drove use of force on crisis calls down by 68% over a four-year period, was a different type of training — a mandatory one that Anderson helped craft.
—Calmatters, Mercury News, 5 May 2025
The next day the family was called down to the station to pick up Skip.
—Janine Rubenstein, People.com, 24 Apr. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for call down
Verb
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In Part 2, viewers see Morticia scold her children for lying to her, yet Morticia is keeping secrets from Wednesday about her past and family.—
Carly Thomas,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
-
Family matriarch Donna Adelson was scolded by a judge Thursday for weeping in the courtroom after being convicted of orchestrating a 2014 murder-for-hire plot of her former son-in-law, a prominent Florida State University law professor.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Vance lectured Zelenskyy and argued the wartime leader hadn’t shown proper gratitude for the billions of dollars in military assistance the United States has given to his country.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Faculty across the state rebuked it as an infringement on academic freedom and warned of a mass chilling effect on free speech and lecturing on divisive topics.—
Cate Charron,
IndyStar,
28 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Geier, who has a bachelor’s degree in biology, has also been reprimanded by the Maryland Board of Physicians for practicing medicine without a medical license.—
Sarah Owermohle,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
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Plaza was later reprimanded by showrunner Michael Schur for taking the notes.—
Daysia Tolentino,
EW.com,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Of course, nobody enjoys feeling blamed or accused, so the instinct to deflect may feel right.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The 2024 first-round pick blamed the weather, not nerves or feeling too amped up, on an inaccurate pass targeting DeMario Douglas to open the game.—
Doug Kyed,
Boston Herald,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Six separate receivers have caught touchdown passes already this season, a stark difference from a season ago when Green was criticized for being too reliant on a small number of playmakers.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Sep. 2025
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Like Kennedy, Anderson was criticized over the eight-minute tape, which was meant for private consumption and created by consenting spouses.—
Angela Andaloro,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For the first stretch of Erupcja, Charli almost dissolves into the screen, not like an outsize personality who’s dressing down for a part, but like someone who isn’t able to repurpose her considerable ability to hold our attention — or to give us any sense of what’s on her character’s mind.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
5 Sep. 2025
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While everyone else is dressing up, Sabally is dressing down, in the best way: a cool, '90s Princess Diana kind of way.—
Tiana Randall,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Call down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/call%20down. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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