as in to rail (at or against)
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Recent Examples of tell off
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
One scene, shows another donkey picking up a small goat and running around with it in their mouth, before being told off.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 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
The West Coast rapper took to TikTok to share a 50 Cent meme where the Queens rapper was confused about being told off by Floyd Mayweather.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Two small feral-looking kids, ragged, both looked about seven years old, had been told off several times for knocking some of these flimsy chairs to one side as if to let the horse out.
—Ali Smith, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
The text overlay reads: POV you're being told off at 24 and 27.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
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
One scene, shows another donkey picking up a small goat and running around with it in their mouth, before being told off.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 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
The West Coast rapper took to TikTok to share a 50 Cent meme where the Queens rapper was confused about being told off by Floyd Mayweather.
—Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 3 Sep. 2019
Two small feral-looking kids, ragged, both looked about seven years old, had been told off several times for knocking some of these flimsy chairs to one side as if to let the horse out.
—Ali Smith, Harper's Magazine, 2 Jan. 2025
The text overlay reads: POV you're being told off at 24 and 27.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tell off
Verb
-
And in order to maintain a nutritious balance to each of these meals, consider adding cut up vegetables (like celery or carrots) or fruit (strawberries or blueberries are easy options) to the plate.—
Stephanie Ganz,
Parents,
15 July 2025
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The information sector, including tech, is a major drag, with job cuts up 27% in the first half compared to the previous year.—
Preston Fore,
Fortune,
10 July 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
-
Dave and his friends spend their summer days hanging out at the limestone quarry, ragging on each other, cliff-jumping into the water, wondering what sort of lives await them.—
Michael Phillips,
Chicago Tribune,
19 June 2025
-
For most of his first 10 songs, Costello’s singing was ragged and hoarse.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
Workwear styling aside, the pants can be easily dressed down with a T-shirt and sneakers for casual outings.—
Emily Weaver,
People.com,
10 July 2025
-
Use the sleek stepper as a way to dress up a Pilates uniform or dress down bohemian dresses, showing your sporty side and tapping into some juxtaposition this season.—
Stacia Datskovska,
Footwear News,
25 June 2025
Verb
-
This punishes exposure but doesn’t reward preparedness.—
Felicia Jackson,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
Świątek, 24, took an early lead in the competition, and continued at a punishing pace to secure a 6-0, 6-0 win in less than an hour of gameplay.—
Alana Wise,
NPR,
12 July 2025
Verb
-
Whether this comes off as a joke or as an invitation for scolding (spoken or unspoken, loving or otherwise) depends entirely on the other Muslims in the room.—
Hanif Abdurraqib,
New Yorker,
13 July 2025
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But there was a time Emily Deschanel, who played the meticulous forensic anthropologist through 12 seasons of Bones, got scolded for being just that — and the memory still makes the star emotional.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
12 July 2025
Verb
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Sakkari started jawing at Putintseva, and Putintseva responded with a curtsy.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
24 June 2025
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Against the Detroit Tigers in May, Neto jawed with Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.—
Sam Blum,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
Verb
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Gavin could learn something to benefit Californians rather than lecturing Americans 3,000 miles away.—
Anna Commander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
9 July 2025
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Amy Lieberman, a politics and society editor at The Conversation U.S., spoke with Lincoln Mitchell, a political strategy and campaign specialist who lectures at Columbia University, to understand what Mamdani’s primary win might indicate about the direction of national politics.—
Lincoln Mitchell,
The Conversation,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tell off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tell%20off. Accessed 27 Jul. 2025.
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