told off

Definition of told offnext
past tense of tell off
See the Dictionary Definition 

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for told off
Verb
  • His life has come to the reader in bits and pieces, a collage, or, like his poems, a cut up.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 Apr. 2026
  • People in yards cut up tree trunks and piled tree branches.
    Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Think of ranch water as a dressed down margarita that's hard to mess up.
    Kimberly Holland, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026
  • It can be easily dressed up for dinner with nice shoes, as well as comfortably dressed down with sandals or sneakers for the pool or exploring the ship.
    Emily Belfiore, Travel + Leisure, 20 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
  • Leon scolded Justice Department attorneys for arguing that the entire project needed to go forward for national security reasons, before previously distinguishing between the bunker below ground and the ballroom above ground.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Government officials scolded young people for the signs of disrespect.
    Justin Spike, Los Angeles Times, 14 Apr. 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
  • Trump has repeatedly berated Powell for not bringing the Fed's benchmark down, and has argued that rates should be sharply lower.
    Jessica Dickler, CNBC, 22 Apr. 2026
  • Before the House Judiciary Committee in February, Bondi berated Democratic lawmakers who asked her questions about the handling of the Epstein files and other matters.
    Ted Johnson, Deadline, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
  • Yes, the bad guys are invariably punished, but there’s always a cost, and typically one that goes beyond the death of poor Jerry.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 1 May 2026
  • Adelman knows the Nuggets have to be vigilant about not getting caught in rotation or punished for helping off of a shooter.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 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.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Told off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/told%20off. Accessed 2 May. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

More from Merriam-Webster