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.

"Hopefully they are done in a memorable enough way that it sticks in people's heads and is more of an inspirational thing rather than browbeating people into feeling bad about not saving the planet."

From BBC • Apr. 23, 2026

The question is whether the party now meekly succumbs to the browbeating:

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

The officials said staffers were reluctant to take on a rapidly emerging automotive power with a massive public platform, worried they wouldn’t have the backing of top officials if they received a browbeating from Musk.

From Washington Post • Mar. 27, 2022

Threats and public reproach appeal to the punitive impulse in American culture, but psychological research shows browbeating can backfire, causing the shamed person to dig in their heels and double down on their destructive behavior.

From Salon • Jun. 2, 2021

He generally liked me, tended to treat me, I thought, as he might some rising young VP in his Boston-based holding company, alternatingly coddling and browbeating me.

From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee