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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of talking-to
Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
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
Noun
This is a really good writer-talking-to-another-writer question.
—Adrienne Lafrance, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2026
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
-
Following Putin’s scolding of his aides on Wednesday, the central bank chief said Thursday that Russia’s unemployment rate remained at a historic low of 2% as the war created a lack of available workers, forcing employers to compete for staff.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
18 Apr. 2026
-
The scolding was met with more meows and barks.—
Clara McMichael,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Ecology remained characteristic of her approach, but Carson now broadened her aims to encompass a mobilization of public opinion equal to the task of addressing the widespread harms of chemical pesticides in everyday life and agricultural ecosystems alike.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 June 2026
-
When Licata and state-appointed board chair Pete Geren first assumed their roles in March, addressing grade-level performance in English and reading was a major priority.—
Samuel O’Neal
June 8,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
And so on Friday, May 29, after former Blue Ox president Dean Gyorgy headed up a lecture on the team as part of the Hall’s annual Symposium on Baseball and American Culture, everybody stepped into another room for the formal handing-over of all that cool stuff.—
Steve Buckley,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
-
No lecture or strict ground rules are required.—
Wendy Rose Gould,
Martha Stewart,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
The only overriding lesson may be that there are no overriding lessons.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
8 June 2026
-
Infantino endured another lesson in the limits of his facile brand of diplomacy in Vancouver, when he was outmaneuvered by Jibril Rajoub, the 73-year-old president of the Palestinian Football Association, who had asked to address the congress.—
Chris Jones,
The Atlantic,
7 June 2026
Noun
-
And while this dressing-down of beloved works might seem like another bummer in a world of doomscrolling, @heartthrobanderson is anything but.—
Jessica Lipsky,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
This change comes after Grok received a dressing-down from users and international officials for complying with requests to digitally undress women and underage girls or create sexualized deep fakes of them without their consent.—
Jennifer Zhan,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The range of punishment for both offenses is two to 20 years in prison.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
11 June 2026
-
In many organizations, formal openness coexists with informal punishment.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
In a somewhat direct public admonishment of SpaceX, Sean Duffy, who briefly served as NASA’s acting administrator last year, announced that the space agency would use whichever lander was ready first to complete the landing mission, which is currently slated for as soon as 2028.—
Ashley Strickland,
CNN Money,
22 May 2026
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His ferocity would lead to multiple instances of public admonishment.—
Jordan Bianchi,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
Noun
-
Beef cheeks and tongues, Frenched racks of lamb, glistening hams, poulet de Bresse, and rabbits still with their heads, round eyes blinkless under long lashes frozen in the ice.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 June 2026
-
Again, Lopez drew inspiration from the 2000s with a frosty lavender eyeshadow framed with dramatic black doll-like lashes.—
Lara Walsh,
InStyle,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Talking-to.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/talking-to. Accessed 13 Jun. 2026.
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