keelhauled

verb

past tense of keelhaul
as in scolded
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings there's no need to keelhaul him—it was an honest mistake, and a small one at that

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for keelhauled
  1. scolded
  2. reprimanded
  3. lectured
  4. blamed
Verb
  • Davis remembered once being scolded as a teenager by her mother after being caught speaking poorly of a classmate.
    — Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 23 June 2026
  • Well versed in what the lunar surface truly offers, Britt scolded a number of arty accounts of lunar territory promulgated by both NASA and commercial space ventures.
    — Leonard David, Space.com, 22 June 2026
Definition of scolded
Verb
  • Wimbledon fashion is also something that can get patrons in trouble, with Andy Samberg saying he was reprimanded for wearing black jeans in the Royal Box.
    — Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
  • Anne White was famously reprimanded for wearing a skin-tight unitard during her first-round match in June 1985.
    — Afia Asamoah, InStyle, 30 June 2026
Definition of reprimanded
Verb
  • Once, in anthropology class, my professor lectured on an insular island tribe that cackled whenever someone got hurt.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 26 June 2026
  • Sharon is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, an Honorary Member of the UK Association of Jungian Analysts, and has taught and lectured at many academic institutions, Jungian organisations, retreat centres and cultural festivals around the world.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 June 2026
Definition of lectured
Verb
  • The total does not include other deaths blamed on the heat since late June.
    — Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 8 July 2026
  • Autopsies and other investigations will be needed before the deaths are officially blamed on the heat, Washington said.
    — Jeffrey Collins, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
Definition of blamed
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Keelhauled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keelhauled. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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