as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
dressed down for boorish behavior at the dance
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Recent Examples of dress down
The air of importance extends to the unofficial dress code guests seem to follow—suits aren't uncommon, nor are slacks or blazers, though they may be dressed down over mini skirts or paired with sneakers.
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Madison Flager, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Aug. 2024
One of the more memorable moments came in 1988, when Democrat Lloyd Bentsen, Michael Dukakis’ running mate, dressed down Dan Quayle, the GOP nominee running with George H.W. Bush.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2024
The They Cloned Tyrone actor dressed down for the occasion, wearing a pair of distressed jeans and a white T-shirt.
—Raven Brunner, Peoplemag, 24 Sep. 2024
Semi-casual yet semi-formal, they can easily be dressed down with a cardigan and loafers for work, or dressed up with a blouse and knee-high boots for date night.
—Victoria Montalti, refinery29.com, 18 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dress down 
Madison Flager, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Aug. 2024
One of the more memorable moments came in 1988, when Democrat Lloyd Bentsen, Michael Dukakis’ running mate, dressed down Dan Quayle, the GOP nominee running with George H.W. Bush.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 1 Oct. 2024
The They Cloned Tyrone actor dressed down for the occasion, wearing a pair of distressed jeans and a white T-shirt.
—Raven Brunner, Peoplemag, 24 Sep. 2024
Semi-casual yet semi-formal, they can easily be dressed down with a cardigan and loafers for work, or dressed up with a blouse and knee-high boots for date night.
—Victoria Montalti, refinery29.com, 18 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dress down
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dress down
Verb
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Among the many to scold this group for having their phones out in the cinema was the luxury theater chain Alamo Drafthouse, which is known for an especially strict no-phones policy.Miles Klee, Rolling Stone, 26 Nov. 2024
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Video shared on social media by Country Central showed Bryan halting his performance and walking toward a microphone to scold the person responsible.Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 26 Nov. 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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The Democratic chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee reprimanded the heads of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security for failing to appear for an annual hearing.Matt Robison, Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2024
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Judge denies Preston Lord defendant's request to return case to grand jury Cochise County judge reprimanded for issuing improper arrest warrant Tucson robbery cases for the year's first nine months were tacked at 598, reflecting a spike of 25 from all of last year.Jose R. Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 21 Nov. 2024
Verb
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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
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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
Verb
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The spokesperson noted that the failure to win a loan guarantee from the German government wasn't down to Lilium's technology, but instead was blamed on disagreement in parliament from the Green Party over funding an air travel company.Nicole Kobie, Forbes, 22 Nov. 2024
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An American citizen has died at a popular adventure spot in Laos where alcohol tainted with methanol has been blamed for a spate of poisonings in recent days.Mithil Aggarwal, NBC News, 22 Nov. 2024
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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Yet over the years, colleagues have criticized and debunked the experiment, citing Zimbardo’s interventions and crucial details left out of his portrayal of what happened.Judy Berman, TIME, 29 Nov. 2024
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And in recent days, the Culinary Union leading the Vegas strike has criticized the Laborers’ International Union of North America, or LiUNA, which has a Canadian pension fund that serves as majority owner of Virgin Las Vegas.Suhauna Hussain, Los Angeles Times, 28 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Dress down.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dress%20down. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.
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