tell sb off
— phrasal verb with tell uk/tel/us/tel/verb told, told
B2 to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong:
The teacher told me off for swearing.
More examples
- Mum told me off for slopping water all down her shirt.
- If you make your sister cry, you'll get told off.
- Their teacher told them off for chattering in the lesson.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Chastising & rebuking
- admonition
- barracking
- bawl
- be in sb's face idiom
- beat yourself up
- bring
- come down on sb like a ton of bricks idiom
- crucify
- dressing-down
- keelhaul
- lambaste
- lay
- neck
- rebuke
- reprimand
- reproachful
- there'll be hell to pay idiom
- throw
- throw the book at sb idiom
- upbraid
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