talking-to

American  

[taw-king-too] / ˈtɔ kɪŋˌtu /

noun

• talking-tos
  plural

1. a scolding.

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talking-to British  

noun

1. informal a session of criticism, as of the work or attitude of a subordinate by a person in authority

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• talking-tos
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of talking-to

First recorded in 1875–80

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

talking-to talking-tos

That might be a little heavy-handed when a simple talking-to, or a vote-whipping operation that’s more on top of things, could suffice.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

Later that year, in a blog post on his personal website, Bosworth recounted a talking-to he had once received from Sheryl Sandberg, the company’s then-head of operations, about his overbearing way of communicating.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 25, 2026

It worked, although he got a talking-to about knowing his role.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2025

Maybe it’s the teacher who needs a talking-to from the vice principal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2024

One weekend both the grocer and I got a good talking-to, and my account came to a crashing end.

From "Bad Boy" by Walter Dean Myers

After a week or so of criticism and talking-tos from his staff, Biden reversed his position.

From Slate ● Jul. 12, 2022

He gave us a couple of stern talking-tos across his seven years.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2022

All the stern talking-tos she’d gotten at the orphanage, all the wagging fingers and tight faces...they circled back around her like a whirlwind of shame.

From "Dactyl Hill Squad" by Daniel José Older

Despite repeated questionings and stern talking-tos both at school and at home, she had refused to say anything about what had caused this outburst.

From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng

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Related Words

• admonition
• censure
• rebuke

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