as in scolding
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as in speaking (to or with)
to communicate with by means of spoken words
I had never talked to a real live cowboy before
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of talking-to
Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 16 Jan. 2025
Roberts pulled the reliever in, gave him what seemed like a fatherly talking-to, and – after Ramirez got out of the inning with the very next pitch – noted that sometimes the best course is not to yell and scream at a player.
—Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 30 May 2024
Noun
Never underestimate the combined powers of a Liv Benson talking-to and a New York slice.
—Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 16 Jan. 2025
Roberts pulled the reliever in, gave him what seemed like a fatherly talking-to, and – after Ramirez got out of the inning with the very next pitch – noted that sometimes the best course is not to yell and scream at a player.
—Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 30 May 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for talking-to
Noun
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Avoiding public scolding, vague directions, or emotional reactions can make discipline more effective and respectful.—
Leslie Garisto Pfaff,
Parents,
20 Dec. 2025
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Flies did not follow me, but someone’s gaze did, leading to a lengthy scolding from my mother.—
Edwidge Danticat,
New Yorker,
23 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Chapter Five is actually just a lecture that somebody gives—somebody who turns out to be the protagonist, Tunde.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
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But at a lecture in Tel Aviv, Israel, about 25 years ago, the audience’s response took Lack by surprise.—
Meg Tirrell,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Another teaches free guitar lessons to keep kids out of trouble.—
Sharon Chin,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
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Glenn carried himself with the confidence of someone who had honed his coaching craft through lessons learned playing for Bill Parcells and working under Sean Payton and Dan Campbell.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The main challenges include aligning climate finance commitments between developed and developing countries, addressing the socio-economic impacts of climate change on vulnerable populations and ensuring that emission reduction targets are consistent with the latest climate science.—
Matthew Glasser,
ABC News,
9 Nov. 2025
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By addressing it daily, your clothes chair remains useful for quick drops but won’t become a burden.—
Patricia Shannon,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Earlier this year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky sat in the Oval Office and endured a brutal dressing-down.—
Tom Nagorski,
Time,
16 Oct. 2025
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Lamb doesn’t think River even deserves a dressing-down.—
Scott Tobias,
Vulture,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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As for what the punishment was for Rhoades, the school would not comment any further regarding the incident.—
Trey Wallace OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
8 Nov. 2025
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The passage of Proposition 36, a tougher-on-crime law that placed stricter punishments on repeat drug and theft offenders, has given both agencies more opportunities to try to help those in custody suffering from drug addiction.—
Nathaniel Percy,
Oc Register,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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That admonishment could easily dissuade American women from treating a symptom that could endanger their child.—
Lisa Jarvis,
Mercury News,
25 Sep. 2025
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Officials who accept anything that is not somehow related to city business are breaking the law and face consequences ranging from an admonishment to criminal prosecution.—
M.L. Elrick,
Freep.com,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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There’s also Luum, which launched its newest-generation lash extension robot at Nordstrom around the same time and whose cofounders include veterans of Ekso Bionics, a maker of robotic exoskeletons for stroke and spinal cord injury survivors.—
Noor Lobad,
Footwear News,
6 Jan. 2026
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At Imane Ayissi, models wore glossy silver eyeshadow that sparkled like moondust from their lashes to their browbones, while at Emporio Armani and Christopher Esber, models’ lids were left completely bare, with streaks of silver shadow twinkling like stars in their inner corners.—
Ariel Wodarcyk,
InStyle,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Talking-to.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/talking-to. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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