rebuke
Americanverb (used with object)
noun
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
See reproach.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rebukesimple
-
rebukessimple
-
have rebukedperfect
-
has rebukedperfect
-
am rebukingprogressive
-
are rebukingprogressive
-
is rebukingprogressive
-
have been rebukingperfect progressive
-
has been rebukingperfect progressive
Past
-
rebukedsimple
-
had rebukedperfect
-
was rebukingprogressive
-
were rebukingprogressive
-
had been rebukingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rebuke
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English rebuken (verb), from Anglo-French rebuker ( Old French rebuchier ) “to beat back,” equivalent to re- re- + bucher “to beat, strike,” from Germanic
Explanation
If you receive a rebuke, it means that you have been reprimanded, or scolded. You're sure to get a rebuke if you forget to do your math homework four days in a row. The word rebuke can be a verb, meaning to sternly reprimand or scold, but it can also be a noun, because a rebuke is the result of being scolded. The root comes from the Old French rebuchier and means "to hack down," or "beat back." A rebuke, then, is meant to be critical and to chide — in today's terms, a rebuke is verbal smack-down!
Vocabulary lists containing rebuke
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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:
The decision to make his eligible for Monday’s game also drew rebuke from UEFA, the governing body for soccer in Europe and the largest, most powerful of FIFA’s six confederations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
He called upon people to love their enemies, not rebuke them or disparage their existence.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
Rama himself has published what appears to be a public rebuke to former Greek Prime Minister Aleksis Tsipras.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2026
Luckily for Germany, it will escape public rebuke because of a clause allowing for exemptions related to defence spending, which the country has ramped up in the wake of Russia's Ukraine invasion.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
“Ophelia! That is not our purpose today,” Elnora said sharply, but her rebuke was a mild one.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Public rebukes followed Hegseth’s decision last month to effectively fire Gen. Chris Donahue, a respected four-star commander who came up the ranks through the special forces.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
About 80% of shares voting opposed the company’s advisory “say-on-pay” resolution, one of the biggest rebukes of last year’s executive compensation by shareholders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 29, 2026
The decrease is unlikely to put to bed the row over the steep pricing that also drew rebukes from football's governing body, FIFA.
From Barron's ● May 7, 2026
The legal defeats mark the latest rebukes of federal prosecutors’ aggressive attempts to charge protesters in L.A. under First Asst.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 12, 2026
I once told you that, after years of being adored, it was hard for me to adjust to the harsh reality of grown-ups and rebukes.
From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank
Afterwards, Korpatsch rebuked the suggestion by 32nd seed Wang that she was "not a fair player".
From BBC ● May 27, 2026
Heath and his siblings were rebuked by their neighbors, Heath said, to the point that his brother, Phil, told the township attorney he was thinking about resigning as supervisor.
From Salon ● Apr. 27, 2026
The governor’s office sharply rebuked the court’s action.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026
In the television studio, Norwegian sports legends rebuked him for upstaging his teammate who won gold.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
I wept to recall how he spurned me and abused my love, and I rebuked myself for trusting him.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Starmer, who for a year has assiduously courted the president and held off publicly rebuking him, has now changed course.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
At its peak, there were over 6,000 Shakers, joining Ann in rebuking the gruesome, incalculable evils of war and preaching moral generosity.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025
“Thank you for this exhausting dressing down of the probation department,” Preven said last Tuesday after the supervisors wrapped up rebuking officials for paltry programming inside juvenile halls.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 10, 2025
His stand-up routine included jokes about dating, autism and Tourette’s, and he got extra laughs after rebuking head judge Simon Cowell.
From BBC ● May 25, 2024
“You are much better; anyone can see that,” she says, rebuking me lightly.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
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.
