as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
dressed down for boorish behavior at the dance
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Recent Examples of dress down
While Haim dressed down her look with a low-key ponytail and barely-there makeup, Swift stuck to her usual glam with cat-eye liner and signature red lip.
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Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 10 Dec. 2025
The shoe comes in two colors, each of which look great dressed up or dressed down, and will only get better with each wear.
—Will Porter, Outside, 9 Dec. 2025
Biles' post featured two photos of herself posing in what appears to be hear house dressed down in a sporty outfit that contrasts her stunning hair and makeup.
—Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025
Even dressed down in a minimalist white button-down blouse, vintage Levi’s and pearl earrings, Scherzinger exudes the kind of glamour visible from outer space.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 28 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dress down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress down
Verb
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On Thursday, when speaking to reporters at the White House, Vice President JD Vance scolded the media for not mentioning that the same ICE officer who shot Good was previously seriously injured during the car-dragging incident.—
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This is not a bunch of people trying to scold for something that is a part of some kind of ideology.—
Verb
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Christian author Philip Yancey is retiring from writing and lecturing after admitting to a long-running affair with a married woman.—
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After teaching at Sacramento City College and lecturing at UC Davis, Fisher moved into public history, working with the California Office of Historic Preservation and the Architectural History Department at Caltrans.—
Verb
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Performers have been reprimanded for making racist, sexist and homophobic jokes during shows in the late 1990s and 2000s, according to Westword, and Stock Show officials were quick to apologize.—
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His popularity in other corners was evident in an October appearance on The View, in which cohost Whoopi Goldberg had to reprimand the audience for shouting out too many supportive exclamations.—
Verb
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Scott said, when he was called down to the lobby, James threatened his family.—
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On July 14th, Etoria was called down to intake with a group of men of diverse nationalities.—
Verb
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Many blame homeless persons for the problem, while others point to professional haulers who use the streets as a place to dump refuse to avoid disposal fees.—
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Ground beef price spike is blamed on several factors, most prevalent weather and drought.—
Verb
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Instead of the standard chewing out, the senior played a clip of his freshman defensive back counterpart recognizing a screen, shedding a block and securing the first solo tackle of his career against No. 5 Georgia last week.—
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Being chewed out was nothing new, part of life as a football player.—
Verb
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No less than a half-dozen GOP senators publicly criticized the Department of Justice for investigating Powell over Hill testimony last year about the Fed headquarters’ renovation.—
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Last week, Graham Knaus, the chief executive of the California State Association of Counties, criticized Newsom’s budget for not responding to the cost burdens shifting to local governments.—
Verb
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Women stopped to bawl out the police, who accepted this dressing-down with quiet embarrassment.—
Cite this Entry
“Dress down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20down. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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