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
Around the same time, Oscar de la Renta sent floor-skimming shirt dresses down the runway, while Stephen Burrows gave sequins a sporty edge in wrap-styles blouses and dresses – perfect for transitioning from work to cocktail parties in the era.
—
Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 19 Dec. 2025
While Haim dressed down her look with a low-key ponytail and barely-there makeup, Swift stuck to her usual glam with cat-eye liner and signature red lip.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Dec. 2025
The shoe comes in two colors, each of which look great dressed up or dressed down, and will only get better with each wear.
—Will Porter, Outside, 9 Dec. 2025
Biles' post featured two photos of herself posing in what appears to be hear house dressed down in a sporty outfit that contrasts her stunning hair and makeup.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress down
Tonya Blazio-Licorish, Footwear News, 19 Dec. 2025
While Haim dressed down her look with a low-key ponytail and barely-there makeup, Swift stuck to her usual glam with cat-eye liner and signature red lip.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Dec. 2025
The shoe comes in two colors, each of which look great dressed up or dressed down, and will only get better with each wear.
—Will Porter, Outside, 9 Dec. 2025
Biles' post featured two photos of herself posing in what appears to be hear house dressed down in a sporty outfit that contrasts her stunning hair and makeup.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress down
Verb
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The president himself scolded a New York Times reporter for asking about the cost and whether Amazon was seeking to get in his good graces.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
29 Jan. 2026
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Crucially, the film avoids the trap of scolding younger generations or romanticizing the past.—
Beandrea July,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In her car, Jessica Gabriel’s Lady is an avid listener of DJ Revolution, a fictional radio DJ who lectures passionately about the struggles of modern-day life in Nigeria.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
22 Jan. 2026
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At her event, Acosta will lecture and facilitate a discussion about the Jeanes Supervisors.—
Raisa Habersham,
Miami Herald,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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His supervisor appears as a ticket conductor and reprimands him for doing nothing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
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So far, none of the agents involved in the shootings has been publicly suspended or reprimanded.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Derpetrossian was working with a hot shot crew with the Angeles National Forest when he got called down to help fight fires that were popping up around Los Angeles while the Palisades Fire wreaked havoc on the city’s Westside.—
Cindy Von Quednow,
CNN Money,
17 Jan. 2026
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Scott said, when he was called down to the lobby, James threatened his family.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
5 Dec. 2025
Verb
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In a comparable case in the United States in 2023, a federal judge imposed $5,000 fines on two lawyers and a law firm after ChatGPT was blamed for their submission of fictitious legal research in an aviation injury claim.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
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That leaves them out of pocket, at risk of reputational damage and in danger of losing customers who blame them, rather than the cloud services provider, for the problem.—
David Prosser,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Instead of the standard chewing out, the senior played a clip of his freshman defensive back counterpart recognizing a screen, shedding a block and securing the first solo tackle of his career against No. 5 Georgia last week.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
10 Nov. 2025
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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
Verb
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No less than a half-dozen GOP senators publicly criticized the Department of Justice for investigating Powell over Hill testimony last year about the Fed headquarters’ renovation.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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Last week, Graham Knaus, the chief executive of the California State Association of Counties, criticized Newsom’s budget for not responding to the cost burdens shifting to local governments.—
Andrew Graham,
Sacbee.com,
13 Jan. 2026
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 Feb. 2026.
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