as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
dressed down for boorish behavior at the dance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of dress down
The coverall-style one-piece is easy to dress up with a pair of boots and a leather jacket, or dress down with some comfy sneakers and a beanie like Paltrow’s.
—
Cai Cramer, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
Elevate baggy jeans or dress down a dress with this effortless style.
—Kristen Philipkoski, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
This cropped style, below, is a no-brainer in any winter wardrobe rotation, whether worn dressed down with a baggy blue jean and preppy penny loafer or up with a dazzling party dress and strappy heeled sandal.
—Laura Jackson, Vogue, 2 Dec. 2024
Perfect for travel, the pants can be dressed up with a cute pair of comfortable flats or dressed down with an oversized sweatshirt for an overnight flight or train ride.
—Taylor Fox, Travel + Leisure, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dress down 
Cai Cramer, People.com, 7 Jan. 2025
Elevate baggy jeans or dress down a dress with this effortless style.
—Kristen Philipkoski, Forbes, 9 Jan. 2025
This cropped style, below, is a no-brainer in any winter wardrobe rotation, whether worn dressed down with a baggy blue jean and preppy penny loafer or up with a dazzling party dress and strappy heeled sandal.
—Laura Jackson, Vogue, 2 Dec. 2024
Perfect for travel, the pants can be dressed up with a cute pair of comfortable flats or dressed down with an oversized sweatshirt for an overnight flight or train ride.
—Taylor Fox, Travel + Leisure, 28 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dress down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress down
Verb
-
At one point, an appalled Robinson came outside to scold her daughter.—
Rachel DeSantis,
People.com,
13 Feb. 2025
-
On the other side of the FaceTime call is none other than Set It Off star Vivica Fox, who scolds Glo for sleeping in.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
4 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
Schachner playfully lectures Smooth for pulling the blue bandanna off his Team Fluff teammate, Alice.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
10 Feb. 2025
-
The long-standing lament that Latin American conservatives, centrists, and leftists share is that whereas the United States comes to the region to punish and lecture, China comes to trade.—
Will Freeman,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Witnesses told investigators that Sanchez had planned to reprimand Jimenez for his allegedly poor work ethic and other faults, according to court filings.—
Gary Klien,
The Mercury News,
21 Jan. 2025
-
In 2011, in the southern city of Daraa, a group of teen-age boys were caught painting anti-government graffiti on a wall, and, rather than simply reprimand them, secret police tortured them to death.—
Jon Lee Anderson,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
In the wake of the extreme wildfires that destroyed more than 12,000 homes and buildings, some are blaming the destruction squarely on that.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
11 Feb. 2025
-
That, after all, would open up these politicians to scrutiny and blame if the wars didn’t go well.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
But to chew out his boss--Edwin Stanton, secretary of war--would be more than just getting close to the line of insubordination.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
12 Feb. 2025
-
There’s also a story line of Harper being chewed out by Petra when Petra finds out how Harper actually got the information necessary to short Pierpoint, i.e., illegally.—
Nina Li Coomes,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2024
Verb
-
The agreement is already being heavily criticized by New York City Council leaders, after prosecutors resigned in protest against a directive from Trump's Department of Justice to dismiss corruption charges against Adams so the mayor could assist with the Republican president's immigration agenda.—
DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS,
arkansasonline.com,
15 Feb. 2025
-
The Reimagine Tomorrow initiative has been heavily criticized by conservatives in recent years.—
James Factora,
Them,
14 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near dress down
Cite this Entry
“Dress down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20down. Accessed 22 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share