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

There are people who are angry, parents who want to tell off their kids for getting addicted and you have to explain, it's not their fault, this is an illness.

From BBC • Aug. 6, 2022

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

“Bryan said it would be strategically stupid to tell off the sheriff and the D.A. or to call out somebody in the courtroom,” Cretton recalls.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2019

At the pool, he and his co-worker, Blómey Karlsdóttir, alternated explaining the sauna drama and opening the office door to tell off the two boys misbehaving in the pool.

From Slate • Apr. 27, 2016

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

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir