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
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Recent Examples of chew out
Instances when the coach chewed out the quarterback for being late on a throw.
—
Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2025
But to chew out his boss--Edwin Stanton, secretary of war--would be more than just getting close to the line of insubordination.
—arkansasonline.com, 12 Feb. 2025
Judge is chewing out the parties.
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
We're used to seeing movies with grizzled white guys playing leathery military men chewing out their platoons on the regular.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
But to chew out his boss--Edwin Stanton, secretary of war--would be more than just getting close to the line of insubordination.
—arkansasonline.com, 12 Feb. 2025
There’s also a story line of Harper being chewed out by Petra when Petra finds out how Harper actually got the information necessary to short Pierpoint, i.e., illegally.
—Nina Li Coomes, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2024
In the following scene, which marks a turning point between Emily and Luke, Emily chews out Luke for pushing a deal that ends up costing their firm $25 million.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 6 Oct. 2023
In 2017, the Usos chewed out The New Day in a lyrical skirmish during Monday Night Raw.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2023
Brad Biggs, Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2025
But to chew out his boss--Edwin Stanton, secretary of war--would be more than just getting close to the line of insubordination.
—arkansasonline.com, 12 Feb. 2025
Judge is chewing out the parties.
—Michael Gfoeller and David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
We're used to seeing movies with grizzled white guys playing leathery military men chewing out their platoons on the regular.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 21 Dec. 2024
But to chew out his boss--Edwin Stanton, secretary of war--would be more than just getting close to the line of insubordination.
—arkansasonline.com, 12 Feb. 2025
There’s also a story line of Harper being chewed out by Petra when Petra finds out how Harper actually got the information necessary to short Pierpoint, i.e., illegally.
—Nina Li Coomes, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2024
In the following scene, which marks a turning point between Emily and Luke, Emily chews out Luke for pushing a deal that ends up costing their firm $25 million.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 6 Oct. 2023
In 2017, the Usos chewed out The New Day in a lyrical skirmish during Monday Night Raw.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 21 Nov. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chew out
Verb
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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
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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
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Amy Lieberman, a politics and society editor at The Conversation U.S., spoke with Lincoln Mitchell, a political strategy and campaign specialist who lectures at Columbia University, to understand what Mamdani’s primary win might indicate about the direction of national politics.—
Lincoln Mitchell,
The Conversation,
27 June 2025
-
DuVernay presents the inhumanity of the situation without lecturing the audience or patronizing the subjects, instead providing an honest portrait of the fear, hope, and lost time that the Central Park Five experienced as the result of a profoundly broken justice system.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
Dan Baltic, a co-founder in New Ritual Press and one of tonight’s readers, remembers being reprimanded in 2019 in a writing workshop by a woman who was appalled by the alt-right protagonist of his debut novel, Nutcrankr.—
John McDermott,
Rolling Stone,
6 July 2025
-
Though city reprimanded the protesters, the group dissolved shortly after.—
Calista Oetama
July 3,
Sacbee.com,
3 July 2025
Verb
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Chemical residue can be a primary cause of stiff towels and products like fabric softener can often be to blame.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
6 July 2025
-
Was the project doomed by the economic realities of globalization, the competitive landscape in the smartphone business, or were Google’s shifting corporate priorities ultimately to blame?—
Verne Kopytoff,
Fortune,
5 July 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
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Environmental groups lobbied for the 8.3% increase versus something higher, but also criticized the water authority for not solving its problems sooner.—
David Garrick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 June 2025
Verb
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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
Cite this Entry
“Chew out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chew%20out. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
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