Definition

1. Verb (transitive):
   • To reprimand, scold, or criticize someone severely and angrily.
   • To dress in a casual, informal manner.

Usage

• The verb "dress down" is separable. You can say "dress someone down" or "dress down someone" (though the former is more common).
• When used in the sense of reprimanding, it is often followed by the person being criticized.
• When used in the sense of casual attire, it is often used intransitively (e.g., "We can dress down on Fridays").

Examples

• Verb (Reprimand):
  • The manager dressed down the entire team for the missed deadline.
  • She was dressed down by her professor for plagiarizing the essay.
• Verb (Casual Attire):
  • The company policy allows employees to dress down on the last Friday of every month.
  • For the picnic, we're all going to dress down in jeans and t-shirts.

Advanced Usage

• "to give someone a dressing-down" (noun): A severe reprimand or scolding.
  • After the security breach, the IT staff received a severe dressing-down from the director.
• The phrase can imply a formal or official reprimand, often from a person in authority.

Variants and Related Words

• Dressing-down (n): A severe reprimand.
  • His mistake earned him a lengthy dressing-down.
• Underdress (v): A synonym for dressing casually, though less common.
• Scold (v), Reprimand (v), Berate (v): Synonyms for the act of criticizing severely.

Synonyms

• Reprimand: To express formal disapproval.
• Berate: To scold or criticize angrily.
• Chastise: To reprimand severely.
• Tell off (informal): To scold someone.
• Casual Friday (n): A specific day for dressing informally at work.

Related Phrasal Verbs

• Tell off: To scold or reprimand someone (similar in meaning to the reprimand sense).
  • His mother told him off for coming home late.
• Chew out (informal): To reprimand someone harshly.
  • The coach chewed out the player for missing practice.

Related Idioms

• Read the riot act: To give someone a severe warning or reprimand.
  • The teacher read the riot act to the class after the prank.
• Give someone a piece of one's mind: To express one's anger or criticism frankly.
  • She gave the rude customer a piece of her mind.

Verb

1. dress informally and casually
   • On Fridays, employees can underdress
2. 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