1
as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
the frustrated manager lectured the waitstaff about its poor level of service
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to speak
to give a formal often extended talk on a subject
a physician who has lectured before countless audiences on the importance of diet and exercise in avoiding heart disease
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in sermon
Related Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of lecture
Emma Marcucci, The Conversation, 13 Jan. 2026
Christian author Philip Yancey is retiring from writing and lecturing after admitting to a long-running affair with a married woman.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026
One of his classes was a lecture on poetry offered by Dubrow’s daughter, Jehanne Dubrow, a distinguished research professor.
—Kelley Bruss, Dallas Morning News, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lecture
Verb
Hands-on activities ground new knowledge in ways that lectures and reading often cannot.
—Emma Marcucci, The Conversation, 13 Jan. 2026
Christian author Philip Yancey is retiring from writing and lecturing after admitting to a long-running affair with a married woman.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
Written after he was stabbed on stage during a lecture in New York State in August 2022.
—Barbara Ellis, Denver Post, 15 Jan. 2026
One of his classes was a lecture on poetry offered by Dubrow’s daughter, Jehanne Dubrow, a distinguished research professor.
—Kelley Bruss, Dallas Morning News, 14 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for lecture
Recent Examples of Synonyms for lecture
Verb
-
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
-
Crucially, the film avoids the trap of scolding younger generations or romanticizing the past.—
Beandrea July,
IndieWire,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Disciplinary procedure documents shared with the Washington Examiner show that Goldis received several warnings from her higher-ups to stop speaking critically about the PGM sector.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Portland Mayor Mark Dion, a Democrat, spoke about the importance of speaking out in the wake of ICE's actions in the city.—
KIMBERLEE KRUESI,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
During Friday prayers in the capital, the imam leading the sermon warned the US against launching any attacks.—
Oren Liebermann,
CNN Money,
26 Jan. 2026
-
Kelly, alongside a mob of activists, allegedly stormed Cities Church over the weekend, disrupting a Sunday sermon based on allegations that one of the pastors, David Easterwood, is an ICE official.—
Mia Cathell,
The Washington Examiner,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
His supervisor appears as a ticket conductor and reprimands him for doing nothing.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
-
So far, none of the agents involved in the shootings has been publicly suspended or reprimanded.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As the industry now begins talking seriously about agentic AI, a more independent and decision-capable form of artificial intelligence, the question is no longer whether AI will reshape cars, but how far it should be allowed to go.—
Peter Lyon,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Many survivors have been helped by talking things through with a licensed psychotherapist.—
Jeanne Phillips,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That there are lessons for all of us in those tears, this journey.—
Lisa Kennedy,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The broader lesson is that global convergence is neither automatic nor guaranteed, but instead depends on certain conditions such as undisturbed markets, even as long-term progress has proven more robust than critics often assume.—
Chelsea Follett,
Oc Register,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
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
-
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
Noun
-
But as the practice evolved, eager writers like Jefferson and John Adams (but not George Washington or James Madison, for instance), gravitated to a richer, sympathy-bearing idiom, which no doubt bled into intimate speech, now lost.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
-
In 2022, Helmig announced that he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, which primarily affected his speech.—
Gillian Stawiszynski,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Lecture.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/lecture. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
