tell off

British  

verb

1. informal to reprimand; scold

   they told me off for stealing apples

2. to count and dismiss

   he told off four more soldiers

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tell off Idioms  

1. Rebuke severely, reprimand, as in It's time someone told her off about her behavior. There is also a synonymous expression, tell someone where to get off, as in When he called back a third time, I told him where to get off. [Colloquial; early 1900s] Also see get off, def. 7.

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Other Word Forms

• telling off
  noun

Example Sentences

Things like: Was I wrong to tell off my pregnant, widowed neighbor for getting too familiar with my husband?

From Slate • Apr. 26, 2024

When it comes to failing to self-isolate or practise social distancing, surely everyone feels free to tell off members of their family.

From The Guardian • Mar. 23, 2020

Righteous, single-minded and unafraid to tell off the highest members of British government when they demonstrate more political calculation than valor, Diana has a demigod’s certainty and a total immunity to embarrassment.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2017

To crush is to want to borrow Mindy Kaling’s pencil skirts and tell off street harassers with the “Daily Show’s” Jessica Williams.

From Washington Post • May 25, 2015

The tapping grows insistent, and I turn, intending to tell off the Cadet.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir