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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rail (at or against)
Verb
-
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
-
On one occasion, Aldous Huxley lectured on the lurid life of the Renaissance visionary Carlo Gesualdo.—
Alex Ross,
The New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2025
-
Marcy Thompson: The couple moved to Berlin, where Rudolf was invited to lecture for the German Social Democratic Party.—
Marcy Thompson,
Scientific American,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
However, the post by TikTok Policy claims that internet hosting services will not be reprimanded for restoring the platform under Trump.—
Greta Cross,
USA TODAY,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
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
Verb
-
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
-
There were few in the sharply dressed and cavernous Palm Springs Convention Center who dressed down.—
Pete Hammond,
Deadline,
4 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
President Trump questions if DEI policies are to blame In the immediate aftermath of the crash, President Trump said he had been briefed on the incident and offered his condolences.—
Ayana Archie,
NPR,
31 Jan. 2025
-
After calling for a moment of silence in the White House press briefing room on Thursday, Trump went on the attack, blaming the tragedy on his Democratic predecessors and their emphasis on diversity in hiring.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA TODAY,
31 Jan. 2025
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.
Thesaurus Entries Near rail (at or against)
Cite this Entry
“Rail (at or against).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rail%20%28at%20or%20against%29. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share