chew out

British  

verb

1. informal (tr, adverb) to reprimand

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chew out Idioms  

1. Scold harshly, as in Dad will chew you out for taking the car without permission. Originating in the military, this slangy term began to be used during World War I and soon spread to civilian life. Several vulgar versions, such as chew someone's ass out, should be avoided in polite speech. Also see eat out, def. 2.

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Example Sentences

The thunderous hit caused Rivera to momentarily stop that day’s practice then and there to chew out his team for the lack of discipline.

From Washington Times • Jun. 7, 2023

This fire will chew out the underbrush and lick the moss off the trees.

From The Guardian • Nov. 21, 2019

That prompted Daniels to chew out his teammates.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 29, 2019

A minute later, Walton used almost all of a timeout to chew out Spooner.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 22, 2017

I took a chew out of my double cheeseburger and reached for my phone.

From "The Stars Beneath Our Feet" by David Barclay Moore