rebuke
Americanverb (used with object)
-
rebukes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rebuked,
past participle, past
-
rebuking
present participle
noun
-
rebukes
plural
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
See reproach.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rebukesimple
-
rebukessimple
-
have rebukedperfect
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has rebukedperfect
-
am rebukingprogressive
-
are rebukingprogressive
-
is rebukingprogressive
-
have been rebukingperfect progressive
-
has been rebukingperfect progressive
Past
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rebukedsimple
-
had rebukedperfect
-
was rebukingprogressive
-
were rebukingprogressive
-
had been rebukingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rebuke
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English rebuken (verb), from Anglo-French rebuker ( Old French rebuchier ) “to beat back,” equivalent to re- re- + bucher “to beat, strike,” from Germanic
Explanation
If you receive a rebuke, it means that you have been reprimanded, or scolded. You're sure to get a rebuke if you forget to do your math homework four days in a row. The word rebuke can be a verb, meaning to sternly reprimand or scold, but it can also be a noun, because a rebuke is the result of being scolded. The root comes from the Old French rebuchier and means "to hack down," or "beat back." A rebuke, then, is meant to be critical and to chide — in today's terms, a rebuke is verbal smack-down!
Vocabulary lists containing rebuke
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But he also detailed their relocation to South Korea, drawing an immediate rebuke by Seoul officials, who claimed it violated a nondisclosure pact, endangered the young North Koreans’ lives and demanded an apology from Kyiv.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
“Some subsequent accounts have characterized it as a condemnation, rebuke or repudiation of the symposium. A careful read of my statement will fail to find any of those words,” he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
While some interpreted his remarks as a rebuke to Moscow, Russia did not see them that way and publicly welcomed Modi's efforts.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
The menu, embracing its red-hued simplicity, almost reads as a rebuke to its competitors.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
It was not a rebuke or a mark of ill-favor.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume II: The Kingdom on the Waves" by M.T. Anderson
But such sharp rebukes may well suggest the former first minister's standing in the party has shrunk.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Public rebukes followed Hegseth’s decision last month to effectively fire Gen. Chris Donahue, a respected four-star commander who came up the ranks through the special forces.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
The decision rebukes federal regulators who approved the deal, with Nexstar planning an appeal to strengthen local stations.
From Barron's ● Apr. 18, 2026
So judges keep ordering ICE to release detainees—orders the agency has repeatedly flouted, prompting scathing judicial rebukes around the country.
From Slate ● Feb. 10, 2026
They suffered the rebukes of their circle and in midnight whispers characterized their offspring as the union of an African goddess and a pale mortal.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
Police union officials rebuked Mamdani over the comments, accusing him of activist posturing that puts officers in a bad position.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026
Debra Duardo essentially rebuked district budget decisions and a “fiscal stability plan” the school board approved June 16 and sent to the county for review.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
They will also be the first under new Federal Reserve boss Kevin Warsh after he last month replaced Jerome Powell, who was constantly rebuked by Trump for not cutting interest rates enough.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
Some sporting governing bodies have publicly rebuked athletes for choosing to compete in the games.
From BBC ● May 23, 2026
I didn’t mind the rebuke—it is an honor to be rebuked by the king.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
Starmer, who for a year has assiduously courted the president and held off publicly rebuking him, has now changed course.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
At its peak, there were over 6,000 Shakers, joining Ann in rebuking the gruesome, incalculable evils of war and preaching moral generosity.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025
His stand-up routine included jokes about dating, autism and Tourette’s, and he got extra laughs after rebuking head judge Simon Cowell.
From BBC ● May 25, 2024
A three-judge federal appeals panel reversed her order, rebuking Cannon for a ruling it said she lacked the legal authority to make in the first place.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 16, 2023
I did not sleep that night, but lay awake rebuking myself for running away in fear.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
