upbraid
Americanverb (used with object)
-
upbraids,
present (3rd person singular)
-
upbraided,
past participle, past
-
upbraiding
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
upbraids,
present (3rd person singular)
-
upbraided,
past participle, past
-
upbraiding
present participle
verb
-
to reprove or reproach angrily
-
to find fault with
Synonym Usage
See reprimand.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
upbraidsimple
-
upbraidssimple
-
have upbraidedperfect
-
has upbraidedperfect
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am upbraidingprogressive
-
are upbraidingprogressive
-
is upbraidingprogressive
-
have been upbraidingperfect progressive
-
has been upbraidingperfect progressive
Past
-
upbraidedsimple
-
had upbraidedperfect
-
was upbraidingprogressive
-
were upbraidingprogressive
-
had been upbraidingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of upbraid
before 1000; Middle English; Old English upbrēdan to adduce as a fault. See up-, braid
Explanation
No, upbraid isn’t an elaborate hairdo. When you upbraid people, you scold them, tell them off, and criticize them. (You could, however, upbraid your stylist after a bad haircut.) The word upbraid comes from the Old English word upbregdan, which literally means "bring up quickly." Although this word doesn't have anything to do with hair, upbraid and braid are, in fact, related. The original meaning of braid was "to move quickly from side to side," which is what you do with your fingers when you're braiding someone's hair. When you upbraid someone, you're quickly bringing up different reasons why you're mad at them.
Vocabulary lists containing upbraid
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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.
See Examples For:
Andy Hertzfeld, a charter member of Apple’s Macintosh development team, recalled being summoned to a meeting called by Jobs to upbraid Gates over Microsoft’s plans for the Windows display.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
Since then she has continued to upbraid Mr Trump.
From BBC ● May 11, 2021
It’s understandable to have complicated needs and feelings even in the wake of great grief, and I don’t want you to upbraid yourself when you already feel a sense of guilt.
From Slate ● Jun. 1, 2020
He was trying in a Judiciary Committee hearing today to upbraid Neomi Rao, the lawyer nominated to the D.C.
From Fox News ● Feb. 5, 2019
Whenever he walked into my presence I became silent, waiting for him to speak, wondering if he were going to upbraid me for something.
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
The question haunts “Remake” — he includes an indelible sequence from “Sherman’s March” in which his longtime friend Charleen upbraids him for always having the camera out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
His martinet father upbraids every family member present.
From New York Times ● Jul. 31, 2018
Then, just as everyone else is growing more chatty and carefree, the princess abruptly remounts her high horse and upbraids a hapless guest for overfamiliarity.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 23, 2017
When the king upbraids his son for his party-boy ways, the substance of his scolding centers largely on critiquing Hal’s performance in the role of heir to the throne.
From Slate ● Nov. 7, 2016
After several unsuccessful starts he flatly refuses to descend, and upbraids Jane for her cruelty.
From Dramatic Technique by George Pierce Baker
They upbraided her for giving an interview to a Miami social-media site about layoffs at her father’s office.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
Decades later, he upbraided player auctions in the Indian Premier League, saying that he "just did not like players being treated like horses being sold to the highest bidder".
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2023
And it was upbraided for featuring a Louis Vuitton shop in its 2008 Takashi Murakami exhibition, which included handbags.
From New York Times ● Jun. 9, 2023
Superior Court Judge William F. Fahey upbraided Adams for repeatedly racking up more in fees than the judge had authorized.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 17, 2023
Rainey upbraided the mechanic in Thomas Byrdsong’s presence.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
He’s hardly able to parry the upbraiding meted out by Mr. Giamatti’s Jean, fastidiously dressed and radiating pompous self-satisfaction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
It might have seemed an unusual upbraiding of a president by a sitting judge.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 5, 2026
"An actual upbraiding from the court for the Trump Org."
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2022
Kimura, who was introduced as a fun-loving jokester, attracted increased negative attention online after upbraiding a housemate for ruining one of her wrestling costumes.
From Reuters ● Jun. 2, 2020
It was not until he had blundered and crashed along his way for some time, wildly upbraiding himself, that he calmed down with the realization that he was well and truly lost.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
