chew up

Học thuật
Thân thiện
Definition

Verb: 1. To reprimand, scold, or criticize someone severely and angrily. This phrasal verb describes the act of speaking to someone in a very angry and critical way because they have done something wrong.

Usage

The verb "chew up" is a separable phrasal verb, meaning the object (the person being scolded) can come between "chew" and "up" or after the entire phrase. * Structure 1 (Separable): to chew [someone] up * Structure 2: to chew up [someone]

It is most commonly used in informal or conversational contexts to describe a harsh, often lengthy, verbal reprimand.

Examples
  • The manager chewed the entire team up for missing the project deadline.
  • My dad is going to chew me up when he sees the dent in the car.
  • The coach chewed up the players after their lackluster performance.
  • She was chewed up by her professor for plagiarizing part of her essay.
Advanced Usage
  • Passive Voice: The phrasal verb is often used in the passive voice () to emphasize the experience of the person receiving the scolding.
    • I really got chewed up in that meeting.
  • Emphatic Adverbs: It is frequently modified by adverbs like "really," "thoroughly," or "properly" to intensify the meaning.
    • The sergeant thoroughly chewed up the new recruit.
Variants and Related Words
  • Chew out (phrasal verb): A more common and direct synonym for "chew up" with the same meaning (to scold angrily).
    • The teacher chewed out the student for talking in class.
Synonyms
  • Reprimand: To express formal disapproval.
  • Scold: To angrily criticize someone, especially a child.
  • Berate: To scold or criticize angrily and at length.
  • Lambaste: To criticize harshly.
  • Tell off (phrasal verb): To speak angrily to someone about something they have done wrong.
Related Phrasal Verbs
  • Dress down (phrasal verb): To scold or reprimand someone severely.
    • He was dressed down by the committee for his unprofessional conduct.
  • Rake over the coals / Haul over the coals (idiomatic phrasal phrases): To criticize or reprimand severely.
    • The journalist was raked over the coals for publishing inaccurate information.
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

Từ đồng nghĩa

Từ gần giống