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
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
At another point, NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman called down to Earth to NASA’s IT specialists on the ground to report that both versions of Microsoft’s email program Outlook installed on his computer were not working.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Ming opened up her fourth floor window and called down to the firefighters below.
—Kate Talerico, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Jan. 2026
Derpetrossian was working with a hot shot crew with the Angeles National Forest when he got called down to help fight fires that were popping up around Los Angeles while the Palisades Fire wreaked havoc on the city’s Westside.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 17 Jan. 2026
Scott said, when he was called down to the lobby, James threatened his family.
—Jermont Terry, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
On July 14th, Etoria was called down to intake with a group of men of diverse nationalities.
—Sarah Stillman, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
They are insulated with feathers from ducks or geese called down.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
And Josh still viscerally remembers a moment in grade school when he was called down to the office and accused of punching another student, mistaken for the other Josh Jones in his school.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Erin Vanderhoof, Vanity Fair, 29 Apr. 2026
At another point, NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman called down to Earth to NASA’s IT specialists on the ground to report that both versions of Microsoft’s email program Outlook installed on his computer were not working.
—Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2026
Ming opened up her fourth floor window and called down to the firefighters below.
—Kate Talerico, San Francisco Chronicle, 19 Jan. 2026
Derpetrossian was working with a hot shot crew with the Angeles National Forest when he got called down to help fight fires that were popping up around Los Angeles while the Palisades Fire wreaked havoc on the city’s Westside.
—Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 17 Jan. 2026
Scott said, when he was called down to the lobby, James threatened his family.
—Jermont Terry, CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025
On July 14th, Etoria was called down to intake with a group of men of diverse nationalities.
—Sarah Stillman, New Yorker, 24 Nov. 2025
They are insulated with feathers from ducks or geese called down.
—Bestreviews, Mercury News, 13 Oct. 2025
And Josh still viscerally remembers a moment in grade school when he was called down to the office and accused of punching another student, mistaken for the other Josh Jones in his school.
—Luke Chinman, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for call down
Verb
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Rogers scolded Musk on Tuesday morning for his recent social media posts about the trial and threatened a gag order before the jury arrived in the courtroom.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
28 Apr. 2026
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Or tie scolds to the ducking stool again.—
Annie Lowrey,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For years, states such as New York and California have been run by politicians who seem to believe prosperity is permanent — an endless resource to be taxed a little more, regulated a little harder and lectured a little longer.—
Larry Clifton,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
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Steve Kerr's new New Yorker interview sounds a lot less like a man eager to lecture Americans and a lot more like a man trying to clean up a mess he's spent years making.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Israeli leaders later disavowed the incident and said he would be reprimanded.—
Sam Metz,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
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Kudrow, who starred as the free-spirited Phoebe Buffay, said the writers reprimanded the cast for forgetting lines and spent their off-hours fantasizing about her female co-stars.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Mets have received little from the back end of their rotation — ironically, Peterson is one of the pitchers to blame here, alongside Kodai Senga — but Scott could provide a higher floor and ceiling in one of those spots.—
Tim Britton,
New York Times,
4 May 2026
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In 1998, as many as 1,000 birds – mostly pelicans, wading birds and raptors – died around Lake Apopka, a tragedy blamed on poisoning from the pesticides used on the muck farms.—
Stephen Hudak,
The Orlando Sentinel,
4 May 2026
Verb
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Mira cried, when Andy criticized Nate for being unsupportive.—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
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During that time, Becerra was criticized for being slow to join a multistate effort investigating tech monopolies and for opposing police reform legislation.—
Lia Russell
May 3,
Sacbee.com,
3 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Call down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/call%20down. Accessed 5 May. 2026.
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