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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dress down
Although the Coachella ‘fits were of course way more flashy, Hailey’s look is proving that micro shorts can be just as chic dressed down.
—
Kleigh Balugo, StyleCaster, 15 Apr. 2025
The judge began the hearing by dressing down Ensign after the DOJ lawyer insisted that the Trump administration complied with Boasberg's court order.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2025
Bailey dressed down in a casual look which featured white jeans, a blue denim button-down shirt, a dark brown blazer and baseball hat.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 19 June 2025
They were given lectures on the First Amendment and dressed down on their language and behavior.
—Deborah Baker
june 3, Literary Hub, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress down
Kleigh Balugo, StyleCaster, 15 Apr. 2025
The judge began the hearing by dressing down Ensign after the DOJ lawyer insisted that the Trump administration complied with Boasberg's court order.
—Peter Charalambous, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2025
Bailey dressed down in a casual look which featured white jeans, a blue denim button-down shirt, a dark brown blazer and baseball hat.
—Jay Stahl, USA Today, 19 June 2025
They were given lectures on the First Amendment and dressed down on their language and behavior.
—Deborah Baker
june 3, Literary Hub, 3 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress down
Verb
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Officials want Indianapolis parents to take responsibility for their children Speaking at a news conference over the weekend, Bailey scolded parents for allowing their children out at night unsupervised.—
Matthew Cupelli,
IndyStar,
7 July 2025
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Trump has publicly scolded Massie for his opposition.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
1 July 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
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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
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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
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Though city reprimanded the protesters, the group dissolved shortly after.—
Calista Oetama
July 3,
Sacbee.com,
3 July 2025
Verb
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Miles, the Manual student, noted how when she and her fellow bus riders were called down to the office to receive information on the return of transportation, almost all of them were Black.—
Grace Fridy,
The Courier-Journal,
2 July 2025
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Upper apartments, though, were built without kitchens, since their owners might as well call down for room service.—
Adriane Quinlan,
Curbed,
19 May 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
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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
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Instances when the coach chewed out the quarterback for being late on a throw.—
Brad Biggs,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2025
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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
Verb
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Political dynamics: DeSantis criticized the Florida House for delaying condo relief legislation, while House Speaker Daniel Perez defended the decision to address the issue during the regular session, highlighting the collaborative effort between the House and Senate.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
9 July 2025
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The feud between the two was reignited after Musk criticized Trump’s big legislative package of tax reductions and Medicaid cuts, which passed Congress last week.—
Rebecca Morin,
USA Today,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dress down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20down. Accessed 15 Jul. 2025.
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