told off

Definition of told offnext
past tense of tell off

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for told off
Verb
  • ConocoPhillips announced plans to cut up to 25% of its global staff.
    Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 5 Jan. 2026
  • Meanwhile, as all of this is happening, Meredith is cutting up with the other ladies at the spa, without a care in the world.
    Tom Smyth, Vulture, 31 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • The handy bag goes with just about any outfit and can be dressed down for dog walks or dressed up for dinner out on the town.
    Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Jan. 2026
  • These pull-on style pants can easily be dressed down with a T-shirt to wear casually, or with a nice blouse or dress shirt and be boardroom-ready.
    Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 7 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
  • Students sat in rows, making faces at each other, scolded by their teachers to behave.
    David Wilson, Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
  • Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders scolded the media on Sunday after the team’s close loss to the Buffalo Bills at home.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 22 Dec. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • In an audio recording that The Charlotte Observer and other news outlets published soon after, McFadden berated his staff and called them untrustworthy.
    Ryan Oehrli, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025
  • Miss Universe pageant director Nawat Itsaragrisil berated Miss Mexico Fátima Bosch during a pre-pageant event.
    Allison DeGrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • This was a creditable Arsenal performance, punctuated — and punished — by two uncharacteristic defensive lapses.
    James McNicholas, New York Times, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Man City won 3-1 against one of the season’s black horses in the EPL, Bournemouth, and punished Dortmund 4-1 in Champions League play.
    Pueng Vongs, Mercury News, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • But this season’s 49ers team was lectured from the start to back off on the Super Bowl talk after last year’s 6-11 debacle and instead work on simply becoming a good team that gets better every week.
    Jerry McDonald, Mercury News, 23 Dec. 2025
  • Meanwhile, Cheen also lectured on the music industry across Asia and Australia.
    Andrew McGowan, Variety, 21 Oct. 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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Told off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/told%20off. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!