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
The 26-year-old Brit is eating a piece of salami backstage at her venue in Edinburgh, dressed down in a baseball hat from the International Spy Museum, a memento from a recent stop in Washington, D.C.
—
Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2025
His post-match dressing down after the 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano on August 31 seems to have paid off.
—Pol Ballús, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
For the first stretch of Erupcja, Charli almost dissolves into the screen, not like an outsize personality who’s dressing down for a part, but like someone who isn’t able to repurpose her considerable ability to hold our attention — or to give us any sense of what’s on her character’s mind.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
The meeting came days after Trump failed to cut a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to pause hostilities at an Alaska summit and six months after the Ukrainian leader was dressed down by administration officials in a hostile Oval Office clash in February.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress down
Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 25 Sep. 2025
His post-match dressing down after the 1-1 draw at Rayo Vallecano on August 31 seems to have paid off.
—Pol Ballús, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
For the first stretch of Erupcja, Charli almost dissolves into the screen, not like an outsize personality who’s dressing down for a part, but like someone who isn’t able to repurpose her considerable ability to hold our attention — or to give us any sense of what’s on her character’s mind.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
The meeting came days after Trump failed to cut a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to pause hostilities at an Alaska summit and six months after the Ukrainian leader was dressed down by administration officials in a hostile Oval Office clash in February.
—Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress down
Verb
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The Royal Dutch Medical Association scolded the psychiatrists, and prosecutors declined to act.—
Asra Q. Nomani,
FOXNews.com,
19 Oct. 2025
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Like an impatient parent scolding their toddler, Frankenstein grows frustrated with his monster’s limited capacity for speech.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Augusta was a devout Christian who often lectured the Bible to her sons and blamed alcohol and women for the evils of the world, per the outlet.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
7 Oct. 2025
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Clarke and his business partner sold photographs and films, wrote and lectured about their adventures, and began treasure hunting.—
Danny Robb,
JSTOR Daily,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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To this end, Cucinelli urged the independent players to tap into the online commerce without betraying their identity of exclusivity and desirability, subtly reprimanding those who embraced the gray market outright.—
Martino Carrera,
Footwear News,
15 Oct. 2025
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Turnage was not disciplined or reprimanded in connection with the investigation, according to the lawsuit.—
Miami Herald,
Boston Herald,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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They are insulated with feathers from ducks or geese called down.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
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And Josh still viscerally remembers a moment in grade school when he was called down to the office and accused of punching another student, mistaken for the other Josh Jones in his school.—
Luke Chinman,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But some Republicans blamed Newsom for the freeway closure, calling it an over-reaction.—
City News Service,
Oc Register,
19 Oct. 2025
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Now, blaming the shutdown, the Education Department is trying to lay off an additional 465 people, cutting deeply into multiple offices.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Being chewed out was nothing new, part of life as a football player.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
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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
Verb
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The prince was widely criticized for failing to show empathy for Epstein's victims and for offering unbelievable explanations for his friendship with the disgraced financier.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
19 Oct. 2025
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Andrew was widely criticized for failing to show empathy for Epstein’s victims and for offering unbelievable explanations for his friendship with the disgraced financier.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
19 Oct. 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
Cite this Entry
“Dress down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20down. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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