as in to rail (at or against)
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Recent Examples of tell off
Lombardi had voiced her concerns about the impact of the Blue Angels flying over Seattle in 2023, telling off the squadron in an expletive-laden tirade.
—
Janhvi Bhojwani, NBC news, 24 July 2025
Season three will include toxic men (pretends to be shocked!), Marciano’s story being questioned (clutching my pearls!), and Taylor telling off her mom (wait, actually, yes, please).
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 1 July 2025
Rivera’s sharp sense of style, hanging out and making plans, eating sticky rice and ketchup, telling off old boyfriends and listening to music.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025
Moo's hilarious response to being told off is a textbook example of this temperament.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
Maybe Simón was a malcontent who told off manager Clayton McCullough.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Stephen King made a surprise return to X on Feb. 20 to tell off President Trump and Elon Musk, the latter of which owns the social media platform.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 21 Feb. 2025
Deliverance is a game about being told off for sleeping in other people's beds.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025
Janhvi Bhojwani, NBC news, 24 July 2025
Season three will include toxic men (pretends to be shocked!), Marciano’s story being questioned (clutching my pearls!), and Taylor telling off her mom (wait, actually, yes, please).
—Olivia Crandall, Vulture, 1 July 2025
Rivera’s sharp sense of style, hanging out and making plans, eating sticky rice and ketchup, telling off old boyfriends and listening to music.
—Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025
Moo's hilarious response to being told off is a textbook example of this temperament.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 June 2025
Maybe Simón was a malcontent who told off manager Clayton McCullough.
—Dan Freedman, Forbes.com, 4 June 2025
Stephen King made a surprise return to X on Feb. 20 to tell off President Trump and Elon Musk, the latter of which owns the social media platform.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 21 Feb. 2025
Deliverance is a game about being told off for sleeping in other people's beds.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tell off
Verb
-
Chocolate Frosting For chocolate frosting, in a medium saucepan heat salted butter and unsweetened chocolate, cut up, over low until melted.—
Maddy Bendgen,
Better Homes & Gardens,
12 Mar. 2026
-
The Broward County School Board voted to direct the superintendent to develop a plan to cut up to 3,000 jobs over three years.—
Amanda Rosa,
Miami Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Trippier and Burn are organisers and not afraid to bawl out their team-mates.—
George Caulkin,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Women stopped to bawl out the police, who accepted this dressing-down with quiet embarrassment.—
National Geographic,
National Geographic,
11 Aug. 2020
Verb
-
Instead of the standard chewing out, the senior played a clip of his freshman defensive back counterpart recognizing a screen, shedding a block and securing the first solo tackle of his career against No. 5 Georgia last week.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Being chewed out was nothing new, part of life as a football player.—
Nick Kosmider,
New York Times,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Consider using different-colored towels in different places to keep things neat and sanitary, like using rags from a blue towel in the kitchen and rags from a gray one in the bathroom.—
Rabekah Henderson,
The Spruce,
27 Feb. 2026
-
First, use a brush or rag to remove all loose soil particles from tools and pots.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
There’s water everywhere, approach angles that punish the wrong side of the fairway, and a closing stretch with a long history of turning good rounds into cautionary tales.—
Jenny Catlin,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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During an explosive court hearing in the lawsuit accusing former Miami Commissioner Joe Carollo of using city resources to punish political opponents, an unexpected character with little connection to City Hall took center stage this week.—
Linda Robertson,
Miami Herald,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
There was no one to scold me for lapping up the mixture like a cat to milk.—
Via Chronicle Books,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
-
At one point her mother, Ri Sol Ju, appears to gently scold her for some transgression as Kim watches with a broad smile.—
Jen Kwon,
CBS News,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Herro then was called for a double-technical foul along with Kevin Durant, as the two jawed after a timeout.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Feb. 2026
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Baker-Mazara dribbled into consecutive 3-point shots, jawing with the UCLA student section while running back on defense.—
Aaron Heisen,
Oc Register,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Cluelessly, the Biden administration lectured Israel about its military response.—
Susan Shelley,
Oc Register,
7 Mar. 2026
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Therefore, now is not the time to be lecturing our partners and allies.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tell off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tell%20off. Accessed 16 Mar. 2026.
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