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
Yet, they can still be dressed down with a tank top or T-shirt.
—
Robin Raven, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2025
The filmmaker dressed down her office-siren-adjacent take on business casual with a black rope choker necklace and silver dangly earrings, and covered her hair with a black bandana.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 13 Aug. 2025
Maxis are an undeniable staple in every woman’s summer wardrobe, as they can be dressed up, dressed down, and are somehow able to look casual and elevated at the same time.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 July 2025
There will also be other world leaders outside of the G7 nations attending the summit in mountainous Kananaskis, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom Trump dressed down in the Oval Office.
—Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress down
Robin Raven, Travel + Leisure, 13 Aug. 2025
The filmmaker dressed down her office-siren-adjacent take on business casual with a black rope choker necklace and silver dangly earrings, and covered her hair with a black bandana.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 13 Aug. 2025
Maxis are an undeniable staple in every woman’s summer wardrobe, as they can be dressed up, dressed down, and are somehow able to look casual and elevated at the same time.
—Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 July 2025
There will also be other world leaders outside of the G7 nations attending the summit in mountainous Kananaskis, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whom Trump dressed down in the Oval Office.
—Josh Boak, Chicago Tribune, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress down
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
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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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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
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 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
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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
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
Cite this Entry
“Dress down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20down. Accessed 1 Oct. 2025.
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