as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
we could hear the cook in the kitchen railing against his assistant and wondered if we'd ever get our food
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rail (at or against)
Verb
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What leads children to be scolded for poor behavior can snowball into difficulties keeping a job, maintaining healthy relationships, and even staying out of prison.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2025 -
And despite being scolded by school administrators for it and having to file a lawsuit, more and more students began to show up each week wearing the shirts, as the school had to alter its dress code and start placing students in detention for wearing them.—
Jackson Thompson,
Fox News,
31 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Schachner playfully lectures Smooth for pulling the blue bandanna off his Team Fluff teammate, Alice.—
Bryan Alexander,
USA TODAY,
10 Feb. 2025
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Elsa Hosk dressed down a blazer with denim at Valentino‘s spring 2025 couture fashion show in Paris on Wednesday.—
Hannah Malach,
WWD,
29 Jan. 2025
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There were few in the sharply dressed and cavernous Palm Springs Convention Center who dressed down.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
4 Jan. 2025
Verb
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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
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In the following scene, which marks a turning point between Emily and Luke, Emily chews out Luke for pushing a deal that ends up costing their firm $25 million.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
EW.com,
6 Oct. 2023
Verb
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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
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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
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Thesaurus Entries Near rail (at or against)
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“Rail (at or against).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rail%20%28at%20or%20against%29. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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