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
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.
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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
Dennis called down to a Detroit police officer on the street.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 26 Apr. 2024
There were other questionable calls down the stretch in that one.
—Howard Fendrich, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2024
The last-two minute report from Monday’s 128-125 loss to Charlotte revealed 10 missed calls down the stretch, per the NBA.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2024
As the police amassed, a young person of about 20, bundled in warm clothing and locked to an excavator, called down to the crowd.
—Katie Myers, WIRED, 20 Jan. 2024
The complaint says the teen began to cry, and Tyler later called down to the hotel lobby to ask her to come up to his room.
—Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023
Boy Meets World's Danielle Fishel Felt Like an 'Object' to 'Creepy' Executive with Her Photos in His Bedroom
Jacobs then proceeded to deliver his notes to everyone else before calling down Fishel's mother from the studio audience to join her at a table on set.
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2023
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
Dennis called down to a Detroit police officer on the street.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 26 Apr. 2024
There were other questionable calls down the stretch in that one.
—Howard Fendrich, USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2024
The last-two minute report from Monday’s 128-125 loss to Charlotte revealed 10 missed calls down the stretch, per the NBA.
—Jace Frederick, Twin Cities, 25 Jan. 2024
As the police amassed, a young person of about 20, bundled in warm clothing and locked to an excavator, called down to the crowd.
—Katie Myers, WIRED, 20 Jan. 2024
The complaint says the teen began to cry, and Tyler later called down to the hotel lobby to ask her to come up to his room.
—Rachel Desantis, Peoplemag, 2 Nov. 2023
Boy Meets World's Danielle Fishel Felt Like an 'Object' to 'Creepy' Executive with Her Photos in His Bedroom
Jacobs then proceeded to deliver his notes to everyone else before calling down Fishel's mother from the studio audience to join her at a table on set.
—Esther Kang, Peoplemag, 16 Sep. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for call down
Verb
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Still, watching Hannah scold him about everything, from 401(k)s to boiling water to phone bills, from ordering him to walk a dog that doesn’t belong to him to telling him that riding hotel pool furniture would give her the ick, was painful.Alex Abad-Santos, Vox, 31 Oct. 2024
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Dolores returns to scold her grandson for badmouthing her during the show’s Día de los Muertos episode, which airs on NBC on Friday, Oct. 25.Brendan Le, People.com, 25 Oct. 2024
Verb
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They even get lectured by parents for breaking rules — but that doesn't stop them from finding a spaceship buried in the nearby woods.Christian Holub, EW.com, 1 Nov. 2024
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The whole thing reads as if it is being delivered by someone looking down over their glasses with their hands on their hips like a parent lecturing a child.Roger Valdez, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024
Verb
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In the months since, Whitaker has criticized and reprimanded the prosecution over its disorganized handling of the case.Justin Curto, Vulture, 29 Oct. 2024
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Sometimes the moderator might also jump onto that bandwagon and reprimand the missing candidate.Lance Eliot, Forbes, 15 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Alexis no longer blames herself for her baby’s death.Audrey Dutton, ProPublica, 11 Nov. 2024
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Many Californians initially blamed Pete Wilson, who had become California’s governor in 1991.Eladio B. Bobadilla / Made by History, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Thao, the first Hmong American mayor to lead a major American city, was criticized shortly after taking office for letting go of a police chief and taking months to replace him.Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 13 Nov. 2024
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But the group has largely been shy about criticizing Trump openly.Peter Green, Quartz, 9 Nov. 2024
Verb
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The quilting paired with the corduroy collar and simple button closure makes this an easy jacket to dress up or dress down.Carly Totten, Southern Living, 16 Oct. 2024
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Meanwhile, their two sons dressed down, with one wearing a blue button-down shirt and black pants and the other opting for a white shirt and blue jeans.Raven Brunner, Peoplemag, 17 Sep. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near call down
Cite this Entry
“Call down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/call%20down. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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