chew out

verb

Definition of chew outnext
as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings the coach chews out even the stars of the team if they fail to show up for practice

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 chew out Kittens chew to relieve teething discomfort, while adult cats may chew out of boredom, stress or habit. — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026 It was widely reported that team president Masai Ujiri went into Casey’s office after Game 3 to chew out the coach for not preparing his team better to defend James’ memorable game-winner over OG Anunoby, who is now a Knick. — Eric Koreen, New York Times, 27 May 2026 The episode ends with Kyle’s mom chewing out Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his actions in the ongoing war. — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025 About eight or nine hours into a punishing shoot, nerves were fraying, and Mike McGuirk was getting chewed out by a camera operator. — Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chew out
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chew out
  1. scold
  2. lecture
  3. reprimand
  4. blame
  5. criticize
  6. bawl out
  7. call down
Verb
  • The Amazon Prime Video broadcasters all considered the male Fever fan guilty before details of what actually happened came out, scolding him on air for his behavior.
    — Jon Root OutKick, FOXNews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Tired of Luann’s antics already, Porsha chats with the other women during it, and Luann doesn’t just yell at her from the stage but walks into the crowd to scold her face-to-face into the microphone.
    — Tom Smyth, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of scold
Verb
  • The following May, Rogers accepted an invitation from Lee to lecture at two universities in China.
    — Eamon Javers, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
  • Often, the pincher is in the company of an elder who lectures to her.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of lecture
Verb
  • She was reprimanded by the House Rules and Ethics Committee for her stunt with the bullhorn.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 25 Sep. 2026
  • My mother reprimanded me for taking a sip from a cocktail glass without first removing the little plastic swizzle stick that often comes in a drink.
    — Judith Martin, Sun Sentinel, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of reprimand
Verb
  • Hammer’s been leaning into the Jerry Springer comparisons lately, and who can blame him?
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The latest incident came more than a decade after South Korea blamed the North for land mine explosions that maimed two South Korean soldiers and sharply raised tensions between the countries in August 2015.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of blame
Verb
  • The group of senators — which includes all Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Africa panel — criticized both sides of the conflict.
    — Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 28 Sep. 2026
  • In 2021, Cruz sought to revoke Major League Baseball’s century-old antitrust immunity after the MLB decided to move its All-Star Game from Atlanta in response to a new Georgia voting law civil rights groups had criticized as restrictive.
    — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of criticize
Verb
  • Trippier and Burn are organisers and not afraid to bawl out their team-mates.
    — George Caulkin, New York Times, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Women stopped to bawl out the police, who accepted this dressing-down with quiet embarrassment.
    — National Geographic, National Geographic, 11 Aug. 2020
Definition of bawl out
Verb
  • This year, the irrigators began calling down water on July 1, boosting flows in the Colorado River.
    — Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 16 July 2026
  • Armed with a name, Polyphemus is able to call down his father’s wrath on Odysseus.
    — Gitanjali Roy, Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 June 2026
Definition of call down

Browse Nearby Words

chew on
chew out
chew over
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chew out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chew%20out. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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