as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
the drill sergeant tongue-lashed the recruits with a colorful litany of foulmouthed invectives
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Recent Examples of tongue-lash
Spencer died Sunday at his home in Palm Desert, according to his daughter, Karen.
Spencer once dreamed of coaching big-time college football and his blunt, salty style could have served him well barking orders from the sideline or delivering a tongue-lashing locker-room speech.
—
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025
Mark Z. Barabak, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue-lash
Verb
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But the stunt goes south as Wooley turns out to be an unabashed bigot who embarrasses the show and gets scolded by the host.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
31 Mar. 2026
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This cross-partisan skit is refreshing and the only people who might hate it are Cuomo supporters and maybe some woke scolds.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With me, my wife lectures me more than my children.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Apr. 2026
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The van’s speakers played a high-volume mashup of construction sounds, Jordan Peterson lectures, Marine Corps drills, and mumbling voices.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The release comes nearly two months after the officers involved were reprimanded for lying about the encounter.—
Anthony Bettin,
CBS News,
6 Apr. 2026
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Hart was reprimanding Ross for doing what is the most offensive thing a comedian can do — suck up to the most important person in the room — and enforcing an old ethic in comedy, which is not apologizing for your jokes.—
Robert Lynch,
Chicago Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, the oil industry blames California's progressive policies for driving them out.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
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Others blame social media for hindering crew members from socializing—and carousing—together.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Benjamin Rush, a Founding Father and a physician, criticized the medical establishment for being closed-minded about treatments recommended by non-physicians.—
Dhruv Khullar,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Glendon Hall, who leads the Miami Beach Black Affairs Advisory Committee, criticized the police at the time.—
Aaron Leibowitz,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At another point, NASA astronaut and Artemis II commander Reid Wiseman called down to Earth to NASA’s IT specialists on the ground to report that both versions of Microsoft’s email program Outlook installed on his computer were not working.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Apr. 2026
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Ming opened up her fourth floor window and called down to the firefighters below.—
Kate Talerico,
San Francisco Chronicle,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tongue-lash.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-lash. Accessed 8 Apr. 2026.
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