rebuke
Americanverb (used with object)
-
rebukes,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rebuked,
past participle, past
-
rebuking
present participle
noun
-
rebukes
plural
verb
noun
Synonym Usage
See reproach.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rebukesimple
-
rebukessimple
-
have rebukedperfect
-
has rebukedperfect
-
am rebukingprogressive
-
are rebukingprogressive
-
is rebukingprogressive
-
have been rebukingperfect progressive
-
has been rebukingperfect progressive
Past
-
rebukedsimple
-
had rebukedperfect
-
was rebukingprogressive
-
were rebukingprogressive
-
had been rebukingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rebuke
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English rebuken (verb), from Anglo-French rebuker ( Old French rebuchier ) “to beat back,” equivalent to re- re- + bucher “to beat, strike,” from Germanic
Explanation
If you receive a rebuke, it means that you have been reprimanded, or scolded. You're sure to get a rebuke if you forget to do your math homework four days in a row. The word rebuke can be a verb, meaning to sternly reprimand or scold, but it can also be a noun, because a rebuke is the result of being scolded. The root comes from the Old French rebuchier and means "to hack down," or "beat back." A rebuke, then, is meant to be critical and to chide — in today's terms, a rebuke is verbal smack-down!
Vocabulary lists containing rebuke
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
“Because of this purposeful inaccuracy, she will be reported to the FCC for rebuke or punishment.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
The menu, embracing its red-hued simplicity, almost reads as a rebuke to its competitors.
From Slate ● Aug. 24, 2026
That visit sparked fury in China and South Korea and even a rare rebuke from close ally the United States.
From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026
Messi’s hat trick was a noisy rebuke to the skeptics who worry he’s lost a step, who think his sunny coda with the MLS’s Inter Miami is akin to a sun-tanned semiretirement.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
He offered his hand, but not a word of rebuke.
From "In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson" by Bette Bao Lord
But such sharp rebukes may well suggest the former first minister's standing in the party has shrunk.
From BBC ● Aug. 6, 2026
Public rebukes followed Hegseth’s decision last month to effectively fire Gen. Chris Donahue, a respected four-star commander who came up the ranks through the special forces.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
Elsewhere, the public rebukes and confusion over U.S. strategy are taking a toll on other allies, officials said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
No similar rebukes against Daines are expected in the Senate.
From Slate ● Mar. 7, 2026
They suffered the rebukes of their circle and in midnight whispers characterized their offspring as the union of an African goddess and a pale mortal.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
After he launched FFE last week, he was rebuked by every corner of the game.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Debra Duardo essentially rebuked district budget decisions and a “fiscal stability plan” the school board approved June 16 and sent to the county for review.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
They will also be the first under new Federal Reserve boss Kevin Warsh after he last month replaced Jerome Powell, who was constantly rebuked by Trump for not cutting interest rates enough.
From Barron's ● Jun. 2, 2026
He was publicly rebuked for the comments by some Labour MPs at the time, including the prime minister and the chancellor.
From BBC ● May 19, 2026
I did not expect her to know that the flowers were symbols of faithlessness, and that with my gift I rebuked her for being disloyal.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Starmer, who for a year has assiduously courted the president and held off publicly rebuking him, has now changed course.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
At its peak, there were over 6,000 Shakers, joining Ann in rebuking the gruesome, incalculable evils of war and preaching moral generosity.
From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2025
County first responders are demanding raises and rebuking politicians for not moving faster to grant them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 25, 2025
His stand-up routine included jokes about dating, autism and Tourette’s, and he got extra laughs after rebuking head judge Simon Cowell.
From BBC ● May 25, 2024
His tone is somewhere between rebuking and resigned, as if he’s disappointed in me but didn’t expect to be otherwise.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
