tell off
[verb]
Synonyms: reprimand, berate, censure, chide, haul over the coals (informal), lecture, read the riot act, rebuke, reproach, scold

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Related Idioms: give (one) a piece of one's mind, tell (one) a thing or two, tell (one) where to get off
Related Words: call down, denounce

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English Thesaurus: reprimand, scold, tell somebody off, give somebody a talking-to, lecture, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

tell somebody ↔ off phrasal verb (see also tell)
if someone in authority tells you off, they speak to you angrily about something wrong that you have done
be/get told off
Shelley was one of those kids who was always getting told off at school.
tell somebody off for doing something
My dad told me off for swearing.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

reprimand formal to tell someone that they have done something wrong or illegal and are being punished for it – used especially in official contexts:
The police officers were officially reprimanded for their behaviour.
The Swiss authorities severely reprimanded the banks for accepting $660million from the former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha.
Debra remembered as a very young child being reprimanded by her father.
scold formal if a parent, teacher, or other adult scolds a child, they talk to them angrily because they have done something wrong. Scold sounds rather formal and old-fashioned. In everyday English people usually say tell somebody off:
I dreaded the thought of going home and being scolded by my father.
tell somebody off to talk angrily to someone because they have done something wrong. Tell somebody off is more common in British English than American English:
Dad told me off for getting home late.
give somebody a talking-to informal to talk angrily to a child because they have done something wrong:
The boy was giving a good talking-to and sent home.
lecture to talk angrily to someone for a long time about something they have done wrong, especially in a way that they think is not necessary or fair:
Stop lecturing me, will you!
He began to lecture her about her duties as a citizen.
rebuke formal to tell someone that they should not have done something:
She rebuked him for being late.
Sheerman rebuked his colleague for suggesting that he was too stupid to understand what he was saying.
reproach formal to talk to someone in a way that shows you are disappointed at what they have done. Reproach sounds much gentler than criticizing someone or reprimanding them:
He felt he had to reproach his friend for his excessive drinking.
berate formal to publicly criticize someone for a long time, in a way that shows you strongly disapprove of what they have done:
She berated the paper for its 'misleading front-page story.'
Kennedy berated the Eisenhower administration and its vice president Richard Nixon, during the 1960 campaign.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

tell off
tell off (someone)
to tell someone that their behavior is not acceptable.
I was told off by my best friend, and it was a long time before I could forgive her.

He's always been obnoxious and it's about time someone told him off.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

tell off
to speak angrily or complain to someone
We told our neighbors off after their music was too loud last night.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲

tell off
v.
1. To name or count one by one and give some special duty to; give a share to.
Five boy scouts were told off to clean the camp.
2. informal To speak to angrily or sharply; attack with words; scold.
Mr. Black got angry and told off the boss.
Bobby kept pulling Sally's hair; finally she got angry and told him where to get off.
Synonym: TELL ONE WHERE TO GET OFF.
Compare: GIVE A PIECE OF ONE'S MIND, LAY DOWN THE LAW, TELL A THING OR TWO.

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲