as in scolded
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 called down
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
Stokes apparently called down to Bell, who answered.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2025
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
Stokes apparently called down to Bell, who answered.
—Rachel Wolf, FOXNews.com, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for called down
Verb
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Katie Porter scolded, Tom Steyer channeled Bernie.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
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The victim said he was singled out for laughing, scolded, and told to continue reading before being ordered into the hallway.—
Peter D'Oench,
CBS News,
5 May 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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Ratmoko is also a photographer, writer, and scholar who has lectured on intercultural communication schools including Yale University and the University of Zurich.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
11 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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The report noted that Tracey repeatedly removed his mask, something nurses interpreted in the report as noncompliance, and reprimanded him.—
Nichole Manna,
ProPublica,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Think of ranch water as a dressed down margarita that's hard to mess up.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
27 Apr. 2026
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It can be easily dressed up for dinner with nice shoes, as well as comfortably dressed down with sandals or sneakers for the pool or exploring the ship.—
Emily Belfiore,
Travel + Leisure,
20 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Gatkhor Dual, an opposition official coordinating aid in Jonglei state, blamed county commissioner James Bol Makuei for blocking humanitarian access.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
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In a statement, a spokesperson for Angels In The Asylum blamed the closure on the film being unable to resolve financing issues with John Cairns and his company, Parkland Pictures.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In addition to the issues with the tax collector and the city’s credit card, Stewart was also criticized by Fazio for skipping two consecutive debates last week in Farmington and Berlin.—
Christopher Keating,
Hartford Courant,
11 May 2026
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Carr publicly criticized the late-night host for remarks made about the killing of Turning Point USA co-founder Charlie Kirk, which was followed by Kimmel’s show being removed from the air for several days before it was reinstated.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
11 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Called down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/called%20down. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
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