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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of call down
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
Battling In The Skies The interceptors stand between Ukrainian forces and Russian drones, including reconnaissance drones which call down artillery and rocket fire and attack drones.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Battling In The Skies The interceptors stand between Ukrainian forces and Russian drones, including reconnaissance drones which call down artillery and rocket fire and attack drones.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
But Robbins' life was soon upended when he got called down to the principal’s office at Harriton High School and accused of selling drugs.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025
Four security guards were called down, and the employee ultimately left.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 10 Mar. 2025
Trail Cams Go To War Trail Cams could be used like the sensors in Igloo White, to call down attacks on logistics vehicles by FPV drones.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
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
Battling In The Skies The interceptors stand between Ukrainian forces and Russian drones, including reconnaissance drones which call down artillery and rocket fire and attack drones.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
Battling In The Skies The interceptors stand between Ukrainian forces and Russian drones, including reconnaissance drones which call down artillery and rocket fire and attack drones.
—David Hambling, Forbes.com, 4 Apr. 2025
But Robbins' life was soon upended when he got called down to the principal’s office at Harriton High School and accused of selling drugs.
—Christine Pelisek, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025
Four security guards were called down, and the employee ultimately left.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 10 Mar. 2025
Trail Cams Go To War Trail Cams could be used like the sensors in Igloo White, to call down attacks on logistics vehicles by FPV drones.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for call down
Verb
-
Paul Krugman has referred to deficit hawks as ‘deficit scolds’, because the spend more time warning about the dangers of the deficit than fixing it.—
Mike O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
28 June 2025
-
Musk and Gor reportedly clashed in Cabinet meetings where Musk scolded Gor over personnel disagreements in recent months.—
Ally Goelz,
The Washington Examiner,
19 June 2025
Verb
-
Nonetheless, the missing performers were lectured by Richard Grenell, Trump’s new president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts—a man with, inevitably, no experience in any of them—that performers must perform for people of all political parties.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 June 2025
-
At the Cooper Union in New York in November, Sumner again lectured on Adams’s theory, while a group of Republicans and radical abolitionists sat behind his podium on the stage.—
Zaakir Tameez
June 11,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2025
Verb
-
That brief timeline likely means that Combs — who has been reprimanded by Judge Arun Subramanian for nodding at jurors while his defense attorneys cross-examine government witnesses — will not take the stand.—
Isabella Gomez Sarmiento,
NPR,
24 June 2025
-
But Pitt later said in an interview with GQ in 2024 that Alcoholics Anonymous reprimanded him for talking about his experience with the group publicly.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 June 2025
Verb
-
Partly to blame is high inflation, claimed Bankrate, which has increased by about 24% since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
24 June 2025
-
The lawsuit alleges the Tesla’s design was to blame for the car swerving out of its lane and not braking correctly, according to Reuters.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
24 June 2025
Verb
-
At a time when establishing clarity of first principles has never been more urgent, UF’s law school practically dared anyone to criticize the award for whitewashing the Constitution.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
27 June 2025
-
In his post, the New York state Assemblymember criticized online trolls for targeting Duwaji during his mayoral campaign.—
Callum Sutherland,
Time,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
Bailey dressed down in a casual look which featured white jeans, a blue denim button-down shirt, a dark brown blazer and baseball hat.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
19 June 2025
-
They were given lectures on the First Amendment and dressed down on their language and behavior.—
Deborah Baker
June 3,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Call down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/call%20down. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share