tell off
verb
told off; telling off; tells off
2
: to number and set apart
especially
: to assign to a special duty
told off a detail and put them to opening a trench —
J. F. Dobie
J. F. Dobie Examples of tell off in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Is Bissouma forgiven? Ange Postecoglou said on Friday that Yves Bissouma’s response to his suspension for his laughing gas misdemeanour had been like a punished child, whose behaviour is perfect for the two days after being told off.
—Jack Pitt-Brooke, The Athletic, 24 Aug. 2024
The crowd then roared with cheers when Kendrick told off the director.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 28 Oct. 2024
Leonard Maltin, a staunch critic of the first movie, gets eaten by Gremlins followed by the little menaces taking over a theater before being told off by none other than Hulk Hogan.
—EW.com, 17 Oct. 2024
This was particularly the case during the nuclear talks, where the most hardline factions were told off by Khamenei.
—Ariane M. Tabatabai, Foreign Affairs, 26 May 2017
Joe Biden tried to tell off a journalist the other day.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 16 June 2024
Probably got told off for not saying please or thank you for a while.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2024
The sources Fortune spoke to said some hires use their weekdays to learn how to scuba dive, while managers told off the candidates for asking too many questions.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 7 May 2024
And yet, crucially, nearly every single time, he is told off, cast out, ignored, tsked, dumped, pitchforked, closed in on.
—Wesley Morris Ron Butler Emma Kehlbeck Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
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.
Jack Pitt-Brooke, The Athletic, 24 Aug. 2024
The crowd then roared with cheers when Kendrick told off the director.
—Zack Sharf, Variety, 28 Oct. 2024
Leonard Maltin, a staunch critic of the first movie, gets eaten by Gremlins followed by the little menaces taking over a theater before being told off by none other than Hulk Hogan.
—EW.com, 17 Oct. 2024
This was particularly the case during the nuclear talks, where the most hardline factions were told off by Khamenei.
—Ariane M. Tabatabai, Foreign Affairs, 26 May 2017
Joe Biden tried to tell off a journalist the other day.
—Rich Lowry, National Review, 16 June 2024
Probably got told off for not saying please or thank you for a while.
—Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 3 Apr. 2024
The sources Fortune spoke to said some hires use their weekdays to learn how to scuba dive, while managers told off the candidates for asking too many questions.
—Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 7 May 2024
And yet, crucially, nearly every single time, he is told off, cast out, ignored, tsked, dumped, pitchforked, closed in on.
—Wesley Morris Ron Butler Emma Kehlbeck Ted Blaisdell, New York Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near tell off
Cite this Entry
“Tell off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tell%20off. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share