dressing-down
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of dressing-down
1860–65, noun use (with -ing 1 ) of verb phrase dress down
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.
This is a historic dressing-down of somebody who thought they were made of Teflon.
From Slate • Jan. 23, 2026
But Nigerian officials said they remembered the televised dressing-down Trump gave South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa in a Washington meeting in May.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 9, 2025
The tensions were evident at the recent meeting when the issue of officer shootings led to a public dressing-down of the chief.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 6, 2025
“He says, ‘You’re not welcome here,’” Ms. Pollini said, crying as she recalled the intensity of his dressing-down.
From New York Times • Feb. 8, 2024
I even had one hazy fantasy where Miss Geraldine herself heard about it and gave Ruth a complete dressing-down in front of everyone.
From "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro
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.
