Synonyms

dressing-down

American

[dres-ing-doun] / ˈdrɛs ɪŋˈdaʊn /

noun

a severe reprimand; scolding.

dressing-down British

noun

informal a severe scolding or thrashing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of dressing-down

1860–65, noun use (with -ing ¹ ) of verb phrase dress down

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023