telling off

verb

present participle of tell off
as in cutting up

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for telling off
  1. cutting up
  2. dressing down
  3. chewing out
Verb
  • One reason being that the videographer kept cutting up [a slab of] meat for the castle owner.
    — Elisabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone, 7 Sep. 2026
  • Cut the half into thin wedges by making ½-inch slices lengthwise through the onion, cutting up to, but not through, the root end.
    — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Sep. 2026
Definition of cutting up
Verb
  • And there’s a useful distinction between dressing down to make someone else comfortable and being thoughtful about the signals your clothes send.
    — Morgan Sullivan, Glamour, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Like Bezos, whose Sun Valley uniform has included jeans with T-shirts and polo shirts, many of the male tech executives are dressing down.
    — Rosemary Feitelberg, Footwear News, 10 July 2026
Definition of dressing down
Verb
  • The episode ends with Kyle’s mom chewing out Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his actions in the ongoing war.
    — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2025
Definition of chewing out
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

telling (of)
telling off
telling (on)
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Cite this Entry

“Telling off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/telling%20off. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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