berate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
beratesimple
-
beratessimple
-
have beratedperfect
-
has beratedperfect
-
am beratingprogressive
-
are beratingprogressive
-
is beratingprogressive
-
have been beratingperfect progressive
-
has been beratingperfect progressive
Past
-
beratedsimple
-
had beratedperfect
-
was beratingprogressive
-
were beratingprogressive
-
had been beratingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of berate
Explanation
A strong verb for harshly cutting someone down with words is berate. "He didn't just correct the cashier who gave him the wrong change — he started to berate her, calling her names in front of the whole store." When you berate someone, you do more than just raise your voice at them; berate implies putting someone down by insulting their character. This word comes from a 16th-century English and French root meaning "to scold or blame." Often the anger behind the scolding seems over-the-top, as in "When the young man behind the counter dropped the scoop of vanilla, the manager berated him excessively by declaring him worthless and weak."
Vocabulary lists containing berate
Instead of "Said": Vexed Verbiage to Express Anger
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Refugee
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
It was a reach—“I’m never mad,” Manley said—so he asked Chalamet to berate him off-camera to get worked up for a red-faced confrontation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 26, 2025
If you berate yourself for what you deem parenting mistakes, don’t let it eat away at you.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 2, 2025
With no Russell Martin to berate now, it was the players who felt the full force of a furious fanbase by the full-time whistle.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2025
They’ve taught me that I don’t have to berate myself, hate myself, call myself names.
From Salon ● Nov. 29, 2024
Perhaps he would berate me for my clumsy theory.
From "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" by Jacqueline Kelly
On Thorns, the pensive opening song of The Clearing, she even berates herself for "making a song and dance" about the break-up that inspired Wolf Alice's previous album, Blue Weekend.
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2025
In Season 1, Deborah berates her daughter about her lack of a prenup in a very public birthday dinner speech, but then reluctantly attends her drive-thru wedding via FaceTime.
From Salon ● May 16, 2025
In one, a woman berates her husband for not voting.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 10, 2024
He also berates the street vendors and tells them that he is not giving them permission to record him while simultaneously filming them on a public street.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 12, 2023
Lourdes berates herself for not dating an American who asked her out long ago.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
Pelley accused CBS News Editor in Chief Bari Weiss of “murdering” the program and berated Bilton, a former New York Times journalist, for lacking TV news experience.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 4, 2026
Back in January at the peak of the furore over Greenland, the Treasury Secretary openly berated Deutsche Bank’s George Saravelos after the currency strategist speculated that European institutions could dump $8 trillion of U.S.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 9, 2026
A man dressed as Batman berated officials in the California city set to host the Super Bowl next month over claims they could let ICE officers patrol the NFL championship game.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
Both she and Trump also publicly berated CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins this week.
From Salon ● Dec. 13, 2025
Oh yes but look how the world cursed and berated itself.
From "Jazz" by Toni Morrison
And he was angry, berating Kingsley for giving Cretton a hard time and proclaiming how much he wanted to be in this new movie.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
Despite Egadze scoring only 154.79 for the free skate - 27 points lower than his season best - there was no berating.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2026
Since Takaichi’s remark on Taiwan in November, Beijing’s retaliation has included berating Tokyo at the United Nations, canceling flights to Japan and tightening export controls on goods with potential military uses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 13, 2026
The Australian skipper removed him for a 13th time in Tests, more than any other bowler, with a furious Root berating himself after prodding at a full delivery and feathering to Carey.
From Barron's ● Dec. 20, 2025
Seven turned to Thorn, fire in her gaze as she opened her hand to reveal the button she had taken from Mr. Pepperhorn’s jacket while he was busy berating them.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
Definitions 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.
