as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
we could hear the cook in the kitchen railing against his assistant and wondered if we'd ever get our food
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rail (at or against)
Verb
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After the period, the TNT crew scolded Luostarinen for not keeping his stick on the ice.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
15 June 2025 -
The estranged wife of actor Scott Wolf was seemingly detained by law enforcement during an Instagram livestream, during which she can be heard scolding officers and alleging she was abused.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2025
Verb
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Nonetheless, the missing performers were lectured by Richard Grenell, Trump’s new president of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts—a man with, inevitably, no experience in any of them—that performers must perform for people of all political parties.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 June 2025
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At the Cooper Union in New York in November, Sumner again lectured on Adams’s theory, while a group of Republicans and radical abolitionists sat behind his podium on the stage.—
Zaakir Tameez
June 11,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2025
Verb
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That brief timeline likely means that Combs — who has been reprimanded by Judge Arun Subramanian for nodding at jurors while his defense attorneys cross-examine government witnesses — will not take the stand.—
Isabella Gomez Sarmiento,
NPR,
24 June 2025
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But Pitt later said in an interview with GQ in 2024 that Alcoholics Anonymous reprimanded him for talking about his experience with the group publicly.—
Brendan Morrow,
USA Today,
16 June 2025
Verb
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Around that same time, Schuyler was called down to Albany to help negotiate a treaty with a group of Native Americans, leaving Brigadier General Richard Montgomery in charge of his forces.—
Eli Wizevich,
Smithsonian Magazine,
12 May 2025
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But the game changer, a change in field practices that drove use of force on crisis calls down by 68% over a four-year period, was a different type of training — a mandatory one that Anderson helped craft.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
5 May 2025
Verb
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In the snaps, Basinger dressed down for the occasion in an olive green jacket, black sweatpants, black sunglasses and an oversized straw hat and black sunglasses.—
Jay Stahl,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
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Where Volodymyr Zelensky was essentially kicked out of the White House after being dressed down in the Oval Office, Ramaphosa held his ground.—
Zolan Kanno-Youngs,
New York Times,
21 May 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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Partly to blame is high inflation, claimed Bankrate, which has increased by about 24% since the onset of the pandemic in 2020.—
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez,
Fortune,
24 June 2025
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The lawsuit alleges the Tesla’s design was to blame for the car swerving out of its lane and not braking correctly, according to Reuters.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
24 June 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Rail (at or against).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rail%20%28at%20or%20against%29. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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