as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
there's no need to keelhaul him—it was an honest mistake, and a small one at that
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Recent Examples of keelhaul
And other than a recession, which generally keelhauls buyback plans, don’t expect companies to ease off their repurchases.
—
Larry Light, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2019
The threat posed by the AT&T-Time Warner merger is all the greater today because of the Trump administration’s initiative in keelhauling network neutrality at the Federal Communications Commission.
—Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, 12 June 2018
Larry Light, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2019
The threat posed by the AT&T-Time Warner merger is all the greater today because of the Trump administration’s initiative in keelhauling network neutrality at the Federal Communications Commission.
—Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, 12 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keelhaul
Verb
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Back in the fortress, the Man of Steel scolds Krypto for wrecking the joint while he was gone.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2025
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After the kid was saved, Beltran scolded the resident, reminding her not to bring her personal life into the ER — or her attending’s.—
Charlie Mason,
TVLine,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Logical consistency would require these legislators to reprimand PURA’s rigid approach and call for more regulatory flexibility so utilities can invest proactively in essential cybersecurity measures.—
Brian Harrell,
Hartford Courant,
31 Mar. 2025
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As John Cena and The Rock's Third Man WWE Could Steal Away Top AEW Star: Report Strickland recounted a meeting with Vince McMahon, where the group was reprimanded for a member's aggressive phone call to a WWE office employee regarding B-Fab's flight details.—
Paul Du Quenoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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For decades, Washington lectured Beijing about avoiding protectionism, eliminating barriers to foreign investment, and disciplining the use of subsidies and industrial policy—with only modest success.—
Michael B. G. Froman,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Mar. 2025
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Boutros has also lectured at the University of Chicago Law School since 2011 and published two books on white-collar law.—
Rick Pearson,
Chicago Tribune,
25 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Usually that takes the form of falsely blaming Israel for all Palestinian woes instead of recognizing Hamas's strategy of profiting off death, whether Israeli or Palestinian.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
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President Donald Trump repeatedly tried to blame water issues and the Los Angeles fires on the Newsom administration’s management of Delta water supplies.—
CalMatters,
Mercury News,
1 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Keelhaul.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keelhaul. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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