berate
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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beratesimple
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beratessimple
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have beratedperfect
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has beratedperfect
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am beratingprogressive
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are beratingprogressive
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is beratingprogressive
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have been beratingperfect progressive
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has been beratingperfect progressive
Past
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beratedsimple
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had beratedperfect
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was beratingprogressive
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were beratingprogressive
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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
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "B"
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Refugee
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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 we were stunned to hear her berate an audience member in the front of the stalls who had been texting throughout the final, most moving scene.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
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
The two shared a fascination for country music and right-wing politics, believing the best way to oppose conservatives is not to berate or ridicule but to respect and understand.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2024
As I made my desolate way back to the stairs, my wise self took the opportunity to berate me.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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 pours himself a cup of tea, and berates himself for over-steeping it.
From BBC ● Dec. 12, 2023
I have a co-worker whom I adore, but every holiday she berates me for not getting in the spirit: not wearing a Halloween costume, etc.
From New York Times ● Nov. 10, 2023
Marcus berates me with endless questions about the Chili Bowl, like, “Who makes the chili?” or “Is it true you guys don’t wash the pots?”
From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy
He berated city leaders for not doing enough to get unhoused people off the streets.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2026
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has openly berated reporters during Pentagon briefings for using headlines the administration dislikes.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
Under cross examination, however, Kaley talked about feeling neglected, berated and picked on by family members, causing depression and anxiety that had nothing to do with social media.
From Barron's ● Feb. 26, 2026
“Jay Powell has been called names, has been berated, and has always not just kept his cool but kept his silence,” Bomfim said.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 16, 2026
He didn’t know what possessed Aunt Hila to think that he’d eat while being berated for being too much like his father.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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
She claims in her suit that Reid retaliated against her after she spurned his advances, berating her in front of staff after she brought in a young Kanye West for a label audition.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2026
Beijing’s retaliation has included berating Tokyo at the United Nations, canceling flights to Japan and threatening a ban on imports of Japanese seafood.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 6, 2026
There is romance, drama, pathos and the verbal berating of hotel staff and music video directors.
From Salon ● Dec. 24, 2025
He was his own sarcophagus, a bold and infallible diplomat who was always berating himself disgustedly for all the chances he had missed and kicking himself regretfully for all the errors he had made.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
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.
