1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

calling down

verb

present participle of call down
as in scolding
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 calling down This year, the irrigators began calling down water on July 1, boosting flows in the Colorado River. — Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 16 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for calling down
  1. scolding
  2. lecturing
  3. dressing down
  4. reprimanding
  5. blaming
  6. criticizing
Verb
  • Historically, the United States has sent mixed messages to Europeans, encouraging them to step up but then scolding them for seeking autonomy.
    — JENNIFER KAVANAGH, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Rather than scolding parents about screens, society could do more to support families in ways that obviate the need for screen time.
    — Olga Khazan, The Atlantic, 3 Aug. 2026
Definition of scolding
Verb
  • Especially for him in the same interview to be lecturing my party on democracy and norms.
    — NBC news, NBC news, 6 Sep. 2026
  • Before long, at the height of France’s own student protests, in 1968, Ascherson was lecturing at the Sorbonne on post-Stalinist revolutionary ideas and tactics.
    — Isaac Chotiner, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of lecturing
Verb
  • With kitten heels Denim doesn’t always have to mean dressing down.
    — India Roby, Glamour, 31 Aug. 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
  • 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
  • Unable to picture evil as anything other than devilish, critics accused Arendt of excusing the perpetrators and blaming the victims.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 18 Sep. 2026
  • Both Republicans unloaded on Cooper's tenure as governor, with Trump blaming Cooper for a grisly North Carolina murder and accusing him of doing nothing to help the state after Hurricane Helene inflicted widespread damage in 2024.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Sep. 2026
Definition of blaming
Verb
  • The case drew national attention and became racially charged, with supporters of Anthony criticizing the lack of Black jurors and calling for his acquittal, while supporters of the Metcalf family gathered outside the courthouse seeking justice.
    — James Cirrone, FOXNews.com, 19 Sep. 2026
  • The contest’s website has been flooded with memes and pro-Palestine messages criticizing Sheeran.
    — Wesley Stenzel, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of criticizing

Browse Nearby Words

calling
calling down
calling (for)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Calling down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/calling%20down. Accessed 21 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of elegiac

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
crayons-in-a-circle
Guess the Color Quiz Questions that use the whole box of crayons.
See All