riot acts

noun

plural of riot act
as in condemnations
an often public or formal expression of disapproval at a specially called meeting, he read the riot act to his staff for their poor handling of the crisis

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for riot acts
  1. condemnations
  2. reprimands
Noun
  • Whether Tlaib is motivated by animus toward Moskowitz and Wasserman Schultz for their censure votes and condemnations of her rhetoric, or by support for their progressive opponents Larkin and Manley — or a combination — is unknown.
    — Anthony Man, Sun Sentinel, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Missing from the 62-page report — at least in the view of some longtime department observers — was any reflection about officers’ use of less-lethal weapons that left hundreds of people injured and drew strong condemnations from human rights groups.
    — Libor Jany, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of condemnations
Noun
  • Historically, many referrals have functioned as largely symbolic reprimands.
    — Aysha Bagchi, USA Today, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Jernigan recalled reprimands issued for this sort of lapse but knew of no arrests.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 22 July 2026
Definition of reprimands
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.

Browse Nearby Words

riot act
riot acts
riotous
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Cite this Entry

“Riot acts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/riot%20acts. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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