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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chew out
Verb
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Miss Sammie flashed the scolding look Jean had known since childhood, though playfully now.—
David Wright Faladé,
New Yorker,
28 Sep. 2025
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Chun also scolded attorneys for Amazon in July for withholding thousands of documents from the FTC and abusing a legal privilege to shield them from scrutiny.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kenji lectures on the difference between Japanese static views of ruins versus Western dynamic interpretations and carries the memory of past earthquakes.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
22 Sep. 2025
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The same woman Don had been lecturing about beer.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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There is a form of right-of-center liberalism that is content with status hierarchies, that is very unhappy with anything that makes people feel reprimanded.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Brendan Carr, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), threatened networks to reprimand Kimmel.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But historically, voters have blamed the party in power for a government shutdown.—
Rachel Schilke,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Sep. 2025
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Dohn Community High School closed in early 2025, and school officials have blamed Davenport for its abrupt collapse.—
Quinlan Bentley,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The outlet said many criticized his behavior, labeling it racist, sexist, or out of touch.—
Stephanie Nolasco , Ashley Papa,
FOXNews.com,
28 Sep. 2025
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Locally, the response was more complicated, with police frequently criticized for their use of force and tear gas.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Women stopped to bawl out the police, who accepted this dressing-down with quiet embarrassment.—
National Geographic,
National Geographic,
11 Aug. 2020
Verb
-
Stokes apparently called down to Bell, who answered.—
Rachel Wolf,
FOXNews.com,
12 Aug. 2025
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Tax cuts and spending cuts have to go hand in hand, otherwise the cycle starts all over again as deficit spending goes up and tax hikes come calling down the road to plug the hole.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
23 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chew out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chew%20out. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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