told off

verb

past tense of tell off
as in cut up

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for told off
  1. cut up
  2. dressed down
  3. ragged
  4. chewed out
  5. scolded
  6. upbraided
  7. berated
  8. punished
Verb
  • Later, it was prevented from being cut up to decorate a carnival float.
    — Lauren Frayer, NPR, 9 Sep. 2026
  • 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
Definition of cut up
Verb
  • Spungen’s book houses over 80 cookie recipes, all glitzed, glammed, or perfectly dressed down.
    — The Bon Appétit, Bon Appetit Magazine, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The polished cut of the NYDJ Teresa Trouser Jeans is a deal sealer—they can be dressed down with a hoodie for a fire-pit-friendly outfit, or just as easily styled for a casual but put-together dinner.
    — Annie Blackman, InStyle, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of dressed down
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
Definition of ragged
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
Definition of chewed out
Verb
  • In fact, during testing, the handheld triggered nostalgic memories of playing Final Fantasy Legend and Mario Land 2 on long car rides to my grandparents' house, but without the eye strain and being scolded for playing in the dark as the sun set.
    — Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 22 Aug. 2026
  • For over a year, the White House has scolded and threatened the Smithsonian.
    — Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of scolded
Verb
  • That said, at one point Eleanor captures Sofia giving Dunst a note about the scene where Marie Antoinette is upbraided by her ambassador (played by Steve Coogan) for paying more attention to sleeve lengths than a looming diplomatic crisis.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 6 Sep. 2026
  • One upbraided Tufty for this comment.
    — Eric Adler June 4, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
Definition of upbraided
Verb
  • Carrie Skains, the former human resources director at Trinity Valley School, alleged in the suit that the school’s chief financial officer, Adam Wojtelwicz, berated her and other female employees.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Among the allegations are accusations that senior staff berated employees in front of colleagues and made staffing decisions based on physical appearance rather than professional qualifications.
    — Jill Colvin, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
Definition of berated
Verb
  • Florian Wirtz was ineffective, and there were moments when a more ruthless team than Ipswich might have punished Liverpool.
    — Stuart James, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
  • The stock is down almost 7% this year, with Goldman saying it's been unfairly punished.
    — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of punished
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

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

“Told off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/told%20off. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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