as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
there's no need to keelhaul him—it was an honest mistake, and a small one at that
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Recent Examples of keelhaul
And other than a recession, which generally keelhauls buyback plans, don’t expect companies to ease off their repurchases.
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Larry Light, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2019
The threat posed by the AT&T-Time Warner merger is all the greater today because of the Trump administration’s initiative in keelhauling network neutrality at the Federal Communications Commission.
—Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, 12 June 2018
To hell with a class action suit, these people should have been keelhauled under the Staten Island Ferry for a year.
—Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 25 Oct. 2017
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keelhaul
Verb
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Nawat Itsaragrisil, president of Miss Grand International (MGI), was seen scolding Fatima Bosch, a 25-year-old contestant from Mexico, ahead of the 74th Miss Universe competition being held in Bangkok later this month.—
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No doubt many grandmothers will want to scold us, but the truth is, soap isn't going to destroy your cast iron pans.—
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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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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Chipotle and Cava both reported weaker sales this fall, blaming a slowdown among younger diners who are packing lunches instead.—
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The hurricane has been blamed for 77 deaths, according to the Pan American Health Organization.—
Cite this Entry
“Keelhaul.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keelhaul. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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