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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When the second player protested the contact, Nicholson scolded the player, according to one parent.—
Edward Lee,
Baltimore Sun,
9 Apr. 2026
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What starts as a playful, casual parlor game suddenly turns incredibly dark, not just because of Emma’s confession but by Rachel’s sudden turn from loyal friend to judgmental scold.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Ratmoko is also a photographer, writer, and scholar who has lectured on intercultural communication schools including Yale University and the University of Zurich.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
11 Apr. 2026
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During orientation, new hires are lectured that Kino wants to protect users from harmful images; meanwhile, their boss, Josh (Jermaine Fowler), would cut out his own spleen on camera to keep people’s eyeballs on the app.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Investigations by the House Ethics Committee typically precede floor action to reprimand or expel members.—
Kaia Hubbard,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
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He got formally reprimanded by the House, thanks to a resolution introduced by a fellow Democrat, Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington.—
Michelle Cottle,
Mercury News,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Many Millennials and Gen Zers expressly blame the Boomers for that, accusing them of hoarding wealth, jobs, and power.—
Idrees Kahloon,
The Atlantic,
13 Apr. 2026
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Many housing advocates blamed Wall Street firms buying up homes for a post-pandemic surge in housing costs.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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His fall was celebrated on Sunday by both Democrats and Republicans, some of whom criticized their own administration for such overt support for the Hungarian leader.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
13 Apr. 2026
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Leo's recent public comments on social media criticizing the war, have even led some to speculate whether the president actually threatened him.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
12 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 14 Apr. 2026.
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