chide
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
verb
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to rebuke or scold
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(tr) to goad into action
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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chidernoun
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outchideverb (used with object)
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unchidadjective
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unchiddenadjective
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unchidedadjective
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unchidingadjective
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chidinglyadverb
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unchidinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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chidesimple
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chidessimple
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have chidperfect
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have chiddenperfect
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have chidedperfect
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has chidperfect
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has chiddenperfect
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has chidedperfect
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am chidingprogressive
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are chidingprogressive
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is chidingprogressive
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have been chidingperfect progressive
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has been chidingperfect progressive
Past
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chidsimple
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chidedsimple
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had chidperfect
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had chiddenperfect
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had chidedperfect
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was chidingprogressive
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were chidingprogressive
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had been chidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of chide
before 1000; Middle English chiden, Old English cīdan
Explanation
To chide someone is to ride them or get on their case, without really getting in their face. People have been nagging since well before the 12th century, when the word chide came along as a new way to say "complain" or "rail." If you want to remind someone of a flaw they have or an error they keep repeating, you might chide them with sarcasm, humor, or some seriousness. Where a sharp elbow in the ribs lets you know "Stop it, right now!," a chide is more like a gentle elbow in the belly, saying "Come on, you're late; did you forget your watch again?"
Vocabulary lists containing chide
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"Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, Act II
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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:
When an aide briefed Ghalibaf on the president’s comment, he turned to chide his U.S. counterpart, JD Vance, people familiar with the matter said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026
Human beings as a whole do not employ the same ethics a responsible newspaper does — though today many of us chide the press solely when the news is unfavorable to our own personal prejudices.
From Salon ● Feb. 6, 2026
It’s time to identify trends, recognize teams that greatly improved and chide those who stood pat or took a step backward.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2025
But it’s clear that we’re in a new frontier of public behavior… and that it might be more difficult—and more dangerous—to chide our neighbors.
From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2023
“Oh, yes! Every bit of it himself, and neglecting the land sometimes to do it, so that Sivaji had often to chide him, although he is a good man for a Zemindari agent.”
From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya
Here, Holland’s Telemachus gambles Athena is hiding inside half the people he meets until his father chides, “Don’t look for gods in men, you’ll just be disappointed.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Epstein advises him on the sale of his healthcare business, and chides him for not being careful enough in checking out the background of a new contact.
From BBC ● Feb. 28, 2026
She arrives before he does, and when he opens the door to meet him, she chides his behavior.
From Salon ● Dec. 30, 2024
“Jesus belongs to the Herdmans just as much as anyone else,” she chides her daughter.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 8, 2024
He’s a fighter, a practical voice chides me.
From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir
Elvis Presley's iconic Graceland mansion will stay in the family after the death of his only chid, Lisa Marie Presley.
From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2023
Fed up and enraged, the king angrily chid, “Wear your armor all day, like the dasypodid!”
From Washington Post ● Jul. 21, 2022
“Your just a big chid an won’t let me have a life!”
From The Guardian ● Oct. 31, 2019
“My refusing to eat Flesh occasioned an Inconveniency,” Franklin later recalled, “and I was frequently chid for my singularity.”
From Slate ● Sep. 29, 2014
Mrs. Toft bringing in candles, and looking grave enough herself, noticed the girl's pale face and chid her gently.
From The Great House by Weyman, Stanley John
In the first week of trial, she chided Musk for recent posts to his social media platform X, in which he spoke disparagingly of OpenAI and Sam Altman, whom he referred to as "Scam Altman".
From BBC ● May 6, 2026
Members of the opera community chided the “Marty Supreme” star for his unprovoked attack.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 9, 2026
In his written request, a copy of which was reviewed by ProPublica, Ingrassia chided authorities for taking the action, saying the seizure of the Tates’ devices was not a good use of time or resources.
From Salon ● Nov. 19, 2025
District Judge David O. Carter, who is overseeing the agreement, said he sensed fraud, and chided the city for what he perceived as a lack of curiosity over the discrepancy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2025
"You are not kind, my prince," Ser Rodrik chided gently.
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
Helen Burns asked some slight question about her work of Miss Smith, was chidden for the triviality of the inquiry, returned to her place, and smiled at me as she again went by.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
I am not a child that needs to be chidden with the rod or with harsh speeches; and my father's blood boils as fiercely in my veins as the blood of the Douglas in yours.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 15 by Various
Some twenty of us, including the chidden, but wholly unabashed soldiers, went at it in line, and, after the manner of stone-faced banks, it grew very tall as we approached it.
From Further Experiences of an Irish R.M. by Ross, Martin
It was for this that His followers had chidden her.
From The Gospel According to St. Mark by Chadwick, G. A.
She was gravely chidden for touching these in wonder, and then she saw other shapes, resembling San Donato, passing rank behind rank in the clouds.
From Stories by American Authors, Volume 7 by Various
Gallrein ended by chiding reporters: “Be fair and balanced, can we do that?”
From Slate ● May 19, 2026
We still play cards and games together while chiding each other.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 14, 2026
The characters were pricklier and more restless than I remembered, and Alcott’s voice—good-natured but chiding, unsentimental—was a revelation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 5, 2026
Whitney in April 2024 began with Brambila chiding himself for forgetting his trekking poles in the car.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 15, 2025
I hear her voice in my head, chiding me for not knowing better.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
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.
