as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
dressed down for boorish behavior at the dance
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Recent Examples of dress down
But the American side of that alliance suddenly looked less dependable in March, when President Donald Trump dressed down the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office and accused him of starting the war that began with his own country’s invasion.
—
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 7 May 2025
Leading up to the big night, actors and actresses (well, other than Adam Sandler, who hilariously dressed down this year) work with a dedicated team of stylists, designers and artists to plan their wardrobe and glam down to the last detail.
—Jessica Ourisman, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Judy is also rarely seen dressed down, but her skirt suits and perm lend her a more awkward air.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
The Blue Crush actress, 42, dressed down for the occasion in a black long sleeve, v-neck shirt and wide leg jeans.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress down
Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, 7 May 2025
Leading up to the big night, actors and actresses (well, other than Adam Sandler, who hilariously dressed down this year) work with a dedicated team of stylists, designers and artists to plan their wardrobe and glam down to the last detail.
—Jessica Ourisman, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025
Judy is also rarely seen dressed down, but her skirt suits and perm lend her a more awkward air.
—Scottie Andrew, CNN Money, 3 May 2025
The Blue Crush actress, 42, dressed down for the occasion in a black long sleeve, v-neck shirt and wide leg jeans.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 1 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress down
Verb
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At another meeting in May 2024, Grippo scolded female employees for not working hard enough, although the team was high-performing and employees worked long hours, the lawsuit said.—
Suhauna Hussain,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025
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In January at the annual World Economic Forum, President Donald Trump scolded Brian Moynihan, the CEO of Bank of America.—
Ramishah Maruf,
CNN Money,
3 June 2025
Verb
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Rather than lecturing, Kahn recommends guiding them to draw their own conclusions.—
Lydia Wang,
Parents,
20 May 2025
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Trump stated during his big speech on the trip that his administration was not there to lecture the region on how to deal with its affairs.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
16 May 2025
Verb
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What follows is a series of painful-to-watch confrontations between the two, in which Ace reprimands Amaya for normal human behavior, like expecting the guy who chose her to show some romantic interest, in the low, measured tone of a psychopath.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
11 June 2025
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Manford was reprimanded for the incident; a male coworker who had done something similar a month before faced no repercussions, according to court documents.—
Caroline Zimmerman,
Kansas City Star,
6 June 2025
Verb
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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
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The next day the family was called down to the station to pick up Skip.—
Janine Rubenstein,
People.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Tax rise hit Domestic tax rises have also been blamed for the steep decline in economic activity.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
12 June 2025
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Chicago Tribune If the plan goes awry and a recruit slips away, one thing the former NBA insider refuses to do is blame the money.—
Maura Carey,
Chicago Tribune,
12 June 2025
Verb
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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,
arkansasonline.com,
12 Feb. 2025
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Judge is chewing out the parties.—
Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell,
Newsweek,
16 Jan. 2025
Verb
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The document was quickly criticized for errors and citing studies that don’t exist, as first reported by NOTUS, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news site.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
3 June 2025
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Harry and Meghan have been criticized for making money out of projects that criticized the royal family, including through the multiyear, multimillion dollar Netflix deal that the Harry & Meghan documentary was part of.—
Jack Royston,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dress down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20down. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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