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
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
Dennis called down to a Detroit police officer on the street.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 26 Apr. 2024
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
Dennis called down to a Detroit police officer on the street.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 26 Apr. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for call down
Verb
-
Omari Hardwick scolded an interviewer who misquoted him in a seeming attempt to stir up drama between the actor and Power producer 50 Cent.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
20 Mar. 2025
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On Wednesday, the couple jokingly addressed the awkward interview in which Hilaria scolded Alec for interrupting her during a red carpet moment that has since gone viral.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez,
Fox News,
20 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Vance, who lectures U.S. allies about how to run their affairs, reminds us of every rich guy from suburban Pittsburgh who visits the Amalfi Coast in the summer, drives up the pedestrianized streets, and then complains that the pasta is too chewy and there’s no AC in his 15th-century villa.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
16 Mar. 2025
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Obama himself had to lecture black men testily about the need to turn out for Harris, suggesting their reluctance was due to sexism, but Biden’s numbers with this demographic were worse.—
W. James Antle III,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
14 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The controversy is intensifying, with U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts having now publicly reprimanded the president after a social media post in which Trump called for the impeachment of Chief Judge James Boasberg of the U.S. District Court for Washington, D.C. — the ...—
Andrew C. McCarthy,
National Review,
19 Mar. 2025
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At the time, the House of Representatives, with the Democrats holding the majority, voted to reprimand Wilson, who later issued an apology to Obama.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
5 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Asked for comment on Musk’s remarks and proof that immigrants living in the United States without legal status were to blame for the fraud, the White House didn’t offer any.—
Jane C. Timm,
NBC News,
19 Mar. 2025
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Last month, an ICE supervisor in Charlotte blamed McFadden when a Honduran national charged with domestic violence walked free.—
Ryan Oehrli,
Charlotte Observer,
19 Mar. 2025
Verb
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In a 1907 essay, the writer Ito Sakon criticized the idea of escaping the hot urban summer, instead presenting the heat as an opportunity for self-improvement.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
23 Mar. 2025
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And in its day, the movie did well, but we were criticized for romanticizing the time.—
Todd Gilchrist,
Variety,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Striking that right balance between dressy and dressed down is certainly an art—but luckily there’s a handful of celebrities who’ve recently nailed the look.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
21 Mar. 2025
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Dylan Efron dressed down to set the record straight.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
6 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Call down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/call%20down. Accessed 2 Apr. 2025.
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