tell off

verb

1. informal.
   to reprimand; scold

   they told me off for stealing apples

2. to count and dismiss

   he told off four more soldiers

Derived Forms

• telling off, noun

Idioms and Phrases

Rebuke severely, reprimand, as in It's time someone told her off about her behavior . There is also a synonymous expression, tell someone where to get off , as in When he called back a third time, I told him where to get off . [ Colloquial ; early 1900s] Also see get off , def. 7.

Example Sentences

Things like: Was I wrong to tell off my pregnant, widowed neighbor for getting too familiar with my husband?

From Slate

Halfway through the song, it’s Cardi B’s turn to tell off critics — and she gets a little help from Taraji P. Henson.

From Los Angeles Times

There are people who are angry, parents who want to tell off their kids for getting addicted and you have to explain, it's not their fault, this is an illness.

From BBC

“He held this blade at my throat, screaming at me,” recalls Boehner, who says that he managed to tell off the Alaskan lawmaker with a curt expletive.

From Washington Post

One eyewitness heard Mr Shepherd appear to tell off the defendant who then hit him several times with a machete.

From BBC