reprimandrep‧ri‧mand /ˈreprəmɑːnd $ -mænd/ verb [transitive] 
The military court reprimanded him for failing to do his duty.—reprimand noun [countable]: a severe reprimandTHESAURUSreprimand 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 $660 million 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 given 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.
WORD ORIGINreprimand
Origin:
1600-1700 French réprimande, from Latin, from reprimere; ➔ REPRESSVERB TABLE
reprimand
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | reprimand |
| he, she, it | reprimands | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | reprimanded |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have reprimanded |
| he, she, it | has reprimanded | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had reprimanded |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will reprimand |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have reprimanded |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am reprimanding |
| he, she, it | is reprimanding | |
| you, we, they | are reprimanding | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was reprimanding |
| you, we, they | were reprimanding | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been reprimanding |
| he, she, it | has been reprimanding | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been reprimanding |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be reprimanding |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been reprimanding |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- After the trial two police officers were suspended from duty; four others were reprimanded.
- Breslin was sharply reprimanded for insulting an Asian-American reporter.
- The foreman reprimanded the workers severely for not following safety procedures.
- The man was released after being officially reprimanded for illegal possession of a knife.
- He resented being called from his office to be reprimanded.
- If you complain, then maybe they will be reprimanded, but then you are a dead man..
- Wasim, though has been reprimanded by Lancashire for comments attributed to him in this book.
- With some effort he looked down at his feet as if to reprimand them.
THESAURUS
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 $660 million from the former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha.· Debra remembered as a very young child being reprimanded by her father.
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.
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.
informal to talk angrily to a child because they have done something wrong: · The boy was given a good talking-to and sent home.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Longman Language Activatorto tell someone off · She's always telling her kids off and shouting at them.tell sb off for · Did your Dad tell you off for getting home late?tell sb off about · The manager said my work wasn't good enough. He really told me off about it.get told off · I was always getting told off for things I hadn't done when I was a kid.
also give somebody a telling-off British to tell someone off, especially a child, to make it clear that you disapprove of something they have done: · Addicts don't stop what they're doing just because someone gives them a talking-to.· I remember being late for school and the teacher giving me such a telling-off.give somebody a good talking-to/telling-off: · You should give that child a good talking-to, if you want my opinion.
spoken to talk angrily to someone for a long time, especially in a way that they think is not necessary or fair: · He was lectured by the headmaster in front of the whole school.lecture somebody on/about something: · She's always lecturing me on bad manners.· After the violence on the field, the manager lectured the team about acceptable standards of behaviour.
especially American if a parent, teacher, or other adult scolds a child, they tell them off: · I dreaded the thought of going home and being scolded by my father.scold somebody for something: · Don't scold him for doing badly at school, he's doing his best.· Our parents were strict and we were frequently scolded for our bad behaviour.
to talk severely to someone in order to criticize them for doing something which they knew was wrong: · When the extent of the pollution became known, the company was publicly rebuked by the Governor.rebuke somebody for (doing) something: · Amnesty International rebuked the British government for its treatment of the refugees.· Welfare workers were sternly rebuked by the court for ignoring the woman's plea for help.
to officially tell someone that they have done something wrong or illegal, especially by warning them that if they do it again they will be punished: · After the trial two police officers were suspended from duty; four others were reprimanded.reprimand somebody for (doing) something: · The man was released after being officially reprimanded for illegal possession of a knife.reprimand somebody severely: · The foreman reprimanded the workers severely for not following safety procedures.
British to tell someone off for doing something that you do not approve of but that is not very bad: pull sb up for: · Our teachers are always pulling us up for wearing the wrong uniform.pull sb up on: · I felt I had to pull her up on her lateness.
spoken use this to tell someone that they have done something to annoy you and that you are going to tell them off about it: · I've got a bone to pick with you - what are all these lies you've been spreading about me?
when you tell someone off informal also telling-off British informal when someone, especially a child, is told off for being disobedient or for doing something wrong: · What Sarah needs is a good talking-to.· After a stern telling-off from the teacher, Billy left the room.
when someone is officially told that they should not have done something, especially by warning them that they will be punished more severely if they do it again: · This time the police let him go with a reprimand as it was his first offence.a severe reprimand: · David was fined £100, and Louis was given a severe reprimand for his behaviour.
when you talk to someone for a long time in order to tell them that they should not have done something, especially in a way that they find annoying: lecture about: · She launched into another one of her lectures about why we should always do our homework.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY a severe reprimandCOLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
to tell someone officially that something they have done is very wrongreprimand somebody for (doing) something a severe reprimand· In May 1989, a registrar admitted a drink-driving charge and was severely reprimanded by the Lord Chancellor.· The hapless Sidney Barnett was found guilty of assault and severely reprimanded by the court.· The baffled executioners were severely reprimanded before getting another crack at Vincent.· Debra remembered as a very young child being severely reprimanded by her father.
NOUN· Today, Dole and Barbour are gone and Gingrich stands diminished after having been reprimanded by the House for ethical misconduct.
· Meekins got a letter of reprimand.· Forty-seven other officers were stung with lesser penalties ranging from long suspensions to letters of reprimand.
VERB· The subcommittee recommended Gingrich be reprimanded.· In 1990, when the ethics panel recommended a reprimand for Rep.· Investigators recommended that Flynn be reprimanded for failing to get required advance clearance of his remarks from the State Department.· But Democrats flatly denied that the subcommittee already had unanimously agreed to recommend a reprimand.
The military court reprimanded him for failing to do his duty.—reprimand noun [countable]: a severe reprimandTHESAURUSreprimand 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 $660 million 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 given 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.