told off

Definition of told offnext
past tense of tell off

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for told off
Verb
  • Instead of dwelling in doubt, cut up paper and throw it around.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
  • Firefighting crews worked Monday to cool residual heat and prevent hot spots from causing reignition, using chainsaws to fell and cut up hazardous trees, inspecting each section for heat and using hoses to extinguish any remaining embers.
    Forum News Service, Twin Cities, 20 May 2026
Verb
  • This elegant sky blue style can be dressed up with strappy heels and jewelry or dressed down with raffia ballet flats to work for a variety of dress codes.
    Jordan Julian, InStyle, 22 May 2026
  • Think of ranch water as a dressed down margarita that's hard to mess up.
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • On that night in March, to the surprise of nobody, Arsenal ran their mid-table Premier League hosts ragged, beating them 5-1, with Henry and Freddie Ljungberg scoring twice, and Kolo Toure netting the other.
    Dan Sheldon, New York Times, 11 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • Being chewed out was nothing new, part of life as a football player.
    Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
  • About eight or nine hours into a punishing shoot, nerves were fraying, and Mike McGuirk was getting chewed out by a camera operator.
    Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The child, now 6 years old, only hears her full name when she's being scolded — though Kendra and Bill are currently trying to undo that pattern.
    Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 27 May 2026
  • Katie Porter scolded, Tom Steyer channeled Bernie.
    Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026
Verb
  • At a hearing two days after the government dropped its charges against Baraka, the judge upbraided Stephen Demanovich, a federal prosecutor who had been assigned the case.
    Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026
  • During cross-examination, he was upbraided for long answers that did not immediately answer the question he had been asked.
    Greg O'Keeffe, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Refugee advocacy organizations berated the new emergency order.
    Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 26 May 2026
  • In the past, particularly bad fliers could spend the entirety of the attraction being berated by the character of Ohnaka.
    Todd Martens, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2026
Verb
  • Her attorneys argue she is being punished for her honesty.
    Andy Rose, CNN Money, 29 May 2026
  • My thesis this week for a bearish-to-bullish reversal rested on the idea that ZS had been unfairly punished and that the 50-day moving average was turning positive.
    Michael Khouw, CNBC, 28 May 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Told off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/told%20off. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.

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