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
  • The Arab coins, known as dirhams, are cut up and have similar inscriptions to those found in silver hoards from the 9th century, Nordjyske Museer said.
    — Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026
  • What parents can do on hectic mornings Nemours recommends doing as much as possible the night before, from setting out dishes to cutting up fruit.
    — Ashley Lynch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Aug. 2026
Definition of cut up
Verb
  • 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
  • This versatile set can be dressed up with heels or dressed down with sneakers.
    — Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 15 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
  • One upbraided Tufty for this comment.
    — Eric Adler June 4, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026
  • 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
Definition of upbraided
Verb
  • 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
  • Galliano berated a French couple with antisemitic and anti-Asian rhetoric in February 2011, which led to his conviction.
    — Zack Sharf, Variety, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of berated
Verb
  • The Brewers eventually turned to first baseman Andrew Vaughn to pitch for the final two innings, and the Cubs punished him, knocking in seven runs, including three home runs.
    — Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In Brussels’ view, those weaknesses create a direct risk that EU funds can be misused without such abuse being properly detected or punished.
    — Dominique Soguel, Christian Science Monitor, 30 Aug. 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 5 Sep. 2026.

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