verb
1. censure severely or angrily
-
The mother scolded the child for entering a stranger's car
-
The deputy ragged the Prime Minister
-
The customer dressed down the waiter for bringing cold soup
• Syn:
↑call on the carpet, ↑take to task, ↑rebuke, ↑rag, ↑trounce, ↑reproof, ↑lecture, ↑reprimand, ↑jaw, ↑call down, ↑scold, ↑chide, ↑berate, ↑bawl out, ↑remonstrate, ↑chew out, ↑chew up, ↑have words, ↑lambaste, ↑lambast
• Derivationally related forms:
↑chiding (for: ↑chide), ↑scolder (for: ↑scold), ↑scolding (for: ↑scold), ↑reprimand (for: ↑reprimand), ↑lecture (for: ↑lecture), ↑reproof (for: ↑reproof), ↑rebuker (for: ↑rebuke), ↑rebuke (for: ↑rebuke)
• Hypernyms: ↑knock, ↑criticize, ↑criticise, ↑pick apart
• Hyponyms:
• Verb Frames:
-
Somebody ——s somebody
-
Somebody ——s PP
(for: ↑have words)-
Somebody ——s PP
(for: ↑remonstrate)-
Sam cannot dress down Sue
2. dress informally and casually
-
On Fridays, employees can underdress
• Syn: ↑underdress
• Ant: ↑overdress (for: ↑underdress), ↑dress up
• Hypernyms: ↑dress, ↑get dressed
• Verb Frames:
-
Somebody ——s
* * *
dress informally
Sue dressed down in old jeans and a white blouse
* * *
dress down [phrasal verb]
1 : to wear informal clothes
Most of the students dress down for class, usually wearing jeans and T-shirts.
On Fridays everyone in the office dresses down.
— see also ↑dress-down
2 dress (someone) down or dress down (someone) : to speak angrily to (someone) for doing something wrong
He was/got dressed down for failing to follow orders.
— see also ↑dressing-down
• • •
Main Entry: ↑dress
* * *
ˌdress ˈdown derived
to wear clothes that are more informal than those you usually wear, for example in an office
Useful english dictionary. 2012.