as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
I was called down by my supervisor for not catching the accounting error sooner
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Recent Examples of call down
But Robbins' life was soon upended when he got called down to the principal’s office at Harriton High School and accused of selling drugs.
—
Christine Pelisek, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025
Four security guards were called down, and the employee ultimately left.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 10 Mar. 2025
Trail Cams Go To War Trail Cams could be used like the sensors in Igloo White, to call down attacks on logistics vehicles by FPV drones.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
This ranges from being able to call down lightning strikes, to conjuring twisters, to freezing foes solid with sub-zero temperatures.
—Griff Griffin, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
The producers call down to WBZ's Steve Burton, who's working as tonight's sideline reporter.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 11 Aug. 2024
The pilot would locate an enemy position and mark it with small smoke bombs; an artillery spotter could then call down a barrage on the marked location.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
A number of companies are vying to win the business of apartment community companies interested in providing their residents with amenities that might best be called down to earth.
—Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
If the alarm rang outside business hours, someone would need to call down a list of seismologists until someone agreed to come in.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2024
Christine Pelisek, People.com, 24 Mar. 2025
Four security guards were called down, and the employee ultimately left.
—Julia Shapero, The Hill, 10 Mar. 2025
Trail Cams Go To War Trail Cams could be used like the sensors in Igloo White, to call down attacks on logistics vehicles by FPV drones.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 21 Jan. 2025
This ranges from being able to call down lightning strikes, to conjuring twisters, to freezing foes solid with sub-zero temperatures.
—Griff Griffin, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
The producers call down to WBZ's Steve Burton, who's working as tonight's sideline reporter.
—Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 11 Aug. 2024
The pilot would locate an enemy position and mark it with small smoke bombs; an artillery spotter could then call down a barrage on the marked location.
—David Hambling, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024
A number of companies are vying to win the business of apartment community companies interested in providing their residents with amenities that might best be called down to earth.
—Jeffrey Steele, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
If the alarm rang outside business hours, someone would need to call down a list of seismologists until someone agreed to come in.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 17 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for call down
Verb
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Back in the fortress, the Man of Steel scolds Krypto for wrecking the joint while he was gone.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2025
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After the kid was saved, Beltran scolded the resident, reminding her not to bring her personal life into the ER — or her attending’s.—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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For decades, Washington lectured Beijing about avoiding protectionism, eliminating barriers to foreign investment, and disciplining the use of subsidies and industrial policy—with only modest success.—
Michael B. G. Froman,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Mar. 2025
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Boutros has also lectured at the University of Chicago Law School since 2011 and published two books on white-collar law.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Logical consistency would require these legislators to reprimand PURA’s rigid approach and call for more regulatory flexibility so utilities can invest proactively in essential cybersecurity measures.—
Brian Harrell,
Hartford Courant,
31 Mar. 2025
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As John Cena and The Rock's Third Man WWE Could Steal Away Top AEW Star: Report Strickland recounted a meeting with Vince McMahon, where the group was reprimanded for a member's aggressive phone call to a WWE office employee regarding B-Fab's flight details.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Usually that takes the form of falsely blaming Israel for all Palestinian woes instead of recognizing Hamas's strategy of profiting off death, whether Israeli or Palestinian.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
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President Donald Trump repeatedly tried to blame water issues and the Los Angeles fires on the Newsom administration’s management of Delta water supplies.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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One creative and former National Design Award winner, who has a work visa to be in the U.S., criticized the Trump administration, but declined to comment, due to his residency.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
4 Apr. 2025
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On Wednesday, Trump announced sweeping tariffs that have been mostly criticized by agricultural and food groups for their potential to shrink markets for farmers and raise consumer prices.—
Tom Polansek and Leah Douglas,
USA Today,
4 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Despite those formal touches, they can be dressed down just as easily when worn with sandals and a cropped tank top.—
Clint Davis,
People.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Her aesthetic showcases the luxe sheets act as a chameleon to be dressed down in a kid's space or elevated in a primary bedroom.—
Yelena Moroz Alpert,
Architectural Digest,
19 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Call down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/call%20down. Accessed 9 Apr. 2025.
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