verb
chastise
cha-STYZ
verb
1
To criticise or scold someone sharply for something they did wrong.
"The coach chastised the team for their lack of effort."
"She chastised herself for forgetting the appointment."
How to Use Chastise
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo tell someone off firmly for doing something wrong.
Common mistake
More formal and severe than "tell off" — used in writing to describe strong, often public, criticism.
Common pairings
chastise someone for
publicly chastised
Word Forms
chastised past tense, chastises singular
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The coach _____ the team for their lack of effort.
Etymology
From Old French chastier, from Latin castigare — related to "chasten" and "castigate."