as in bawls out
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tells off
Verb
-
Around the same time, Oscar de la Renta sent floor-skimming shirt dresses down the runway, while Stephen Burrows gave sequins a sporty edge in wrap-styles blouses and dresses – perfect for transitioning from work to cocktail parties in the era.—
Tonya Blazio-Licorish,
Footwear News,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Ben smashes chests and heads in, tears jaws out, rips faces off, and director Johannes Roberts makes sure to include brief close-ups of the carnage, lit just dimly enough to avoid truly grossing us out.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The same government that lectures Beijing about state capitalism and nonmarket behaviors now practices it at home.—
Veronique De Rugy,
Oc Register,
23 Oct. 2025
-
But Andres Bernal, a political analyst who lectures at the City University of New York, thinks many young voters look at Cuomo's history of controversy and are reminded of the Democratic Party establishment that has left them disillusioned.—
Brian Mann,
NPR,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Or on Bluesky with the joke scolds, or on Mastodon with the Linux hackers, or on Threads with the voice-forward brands?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Nov. 2025
-
The crew sets sail to the North Pole and Anderson scolds his crew to be more focused.—
Lea Veloso,
StyleCaster,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Cast members performed on The Tonight Show and in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live, in a sketch in which host Bad Bunny berates his friends for failing to grasp the movie’s brilliance.—
Eliza Berman,
Time,
9 Dec. 2025
-
In another clip, his mother berates Pormanove over the phone for letting the co-streamers shave off parts of his hair.—
Philippe Cordier,
CNN Money,
20 Aug. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Tells off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tells%20off. Accessed 19 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
