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Glite Dictionary
bawling out

bawling out

7.6
A loud, angry talk that tells someone they made a mistake
  • noun
  • Informal
translation icon : reprimenda
  • The teacher gave the student a bawling out after he was caught cheating on the test.

Examples

  • He rather liked the constant stuffy warmth of the room and didn't care much for the fans, but it had been quite a sight, Kusum bawling out the leaders of tomorrow, and he was proud of her.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • When the team lost the match, the coach delivered a harsh bawling out to motivate them for the next game.

  • After the mishap during the presentation, the manager's bawling out left everyone in shock.

Synonyms

blowing up
vsbawling out
  • Informal
8 6.7

An angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong

is louder and more sustained than a sudden angry complaint
scolding
vsbawling out
7 3.3

A strong angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong

is louder and more forceful than that form of rebuke
earful
vsbawling out
  • Informal
5 6.5

A strong angry talk that tells someone they did wrong

is louder and usually more aggressive than that serious telling
tongue-lashing
vsbawling out
  • Informal
5 7.6

A strong angry talk that scolds someone for a mistake

is louder and harsher in tone than that forceful rebuke
berating
vsbawling out
1 6.3

A strong angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong

is louder and often more public than a harsh verbal attack
castigation
vsbawling out
  • Formal
1 9.0

Severe criticism or punishment using harsh words

is more about loud vocal anger than measured critical punishment
dressing-down
vsbawling out
  • Informal
1 7.7

A strong angry talk that tells someone they did something wrong

is similarly strong but is louder and not limited to authority contexts
upbraiding
vsbawling out
1 8.5

A harsh telling off given for a serious mistake

is less formal and louder than that critical, formal speech
chewing out
vsbawling out
  • Informal
1 7.0

A severe scolding for doing something wrong

is louder and typically more emotionally intense than that correction
going-over
vsbawling out
  • UK
1 7.4

A strong scolding you get for doing something wrong

is louder and focuses more on strong vocal reproach than detail
what for
vsbawling out
  • Informal
1 8.8

A strong scolding you get when someone is angry with you

is louder and more forceful than this casual spoken telling
throatful
vsbawling out
  • Informal
9.8

A loud angry scolding for someone who did something wrong

is similarly loud but implies more continuous shouting than this

Antonyms

compliment
342 1.6

A polite remark that praises someone or something

praise
161 1.0

Words or actions that show admiration for someone

How Harsh

berating
1 6.3
bawling out
  • Informal
7.6
scolding
7 3.3
to reprimand
  • Formal
33 6.1

Surface Forms

bawling out singular
bawling outs plural

Morphology

bawl + out

The meaning 'a severe scolding' is directly derivable from combining 'bawl' (to cry or yell loudly) with the particle 'out' which gives a sense of directing or fully expressing that yelling at someone. This phrasal-verb composition (yell + out → yell at/scold) follows a common, fairly literal pattern that a B1 learner who knows the constituents can readily infer.

Etymology

Bawling out comes from the image of someone being shouted at very loudly: bawl means to shout or cry loudly and out shows the shout is full and aimed at a person. That's why it now means 'a severe scolding' or 'being told off'.