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Synonyms

take to task

Idioms  

  1. Upbraid, scold; blame or censure. For example, The teacher took Doris to task for turning in such a sloppy report. This term, dating from the mid-1700s, at first meant either assigning or challenging someone to a task. Its current sense dates from the late 1800s.

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.

In what officials said was a first-of-a-kind lawsuit, the liberal California city is taking to task some of the largest names in groceries, including Kraft Heinz, Coca-Cola, Nestle and Kellogg.

From Barron's

They wrote: "When any organisation is in trouble it is the person at the top who is taken to task, not the person at the bottom."

From BBC

Energy suppliers have been taken to task by the regulator Ofgem for the way they set direct debits.

From BBC

The linebacker was taken to task by some Ravens players and coach John Harbaugh after it appeared Wilson used a hip-drop tackle to bring down Mark Andrews on the opening drive of the game.

From Seattle Times

Others across the country are calling for Libya’s leaders to be taken to task.

From Seattle Times

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.