as in scolded
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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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keelhauled
Verb
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Students sat in rows, making faces at each other, scolded by their teachers to behave.—
David Wilson, Daily News, 7 Jan. 2026
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders scolded the media on Sunday after the team’s close loss to the Buffalo Bills at home.—
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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Shatzman said her group’s complaint is the first time a federal judge has been accused of mistreating staff after being reprimanded following an earlier accusation.—
Verb
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But this season’s 49ers team was lectured from the start to back off on the Super Bowl talk after last year’s 6-11 debacle and instead work on simply becoming a good team that gets better every week.—
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Meanwhile, Cheen also lectured on the music industry across Asia and Australia.—
Verb
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Authorities quickly blamed the residents and threatened to tear down their homes.—
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Rather, many Iranians instead blamed the leadership for either provoking the conflict or failing to meaningfully defend the country from Israeli – or American – bombs.—
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Cite this Entry
“Keelhauled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keelhauled. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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