tell off

verb

1. informal,  to reprimand; scold

   they told me off for stealing apples

2. to count and dismiss

   he told off four more soldiers

Other Word Forms

• telling off noun

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

“I quite like broad humor and s— humor, and I keep getting told off for it,” he says, erupting into a devilish laugh.

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Pupil Lilly-Belle, 12, was told off in her first week at the school because she was wearing her sister's old skirts which were not the right length.

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Adrien was just sitting there, like a teenager being told off in a principal’s office.

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"I would just daydream, do nothing, and I'd probably get told off a bunch."

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She was once told off for asking to learn Mandarin.

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