Tell Off

Pronunciation: /tɛl ɔf/

Definitions of tell off

verb to reprimand or scold someone angrily or forcefully

Example Sentences

A1 She told off her brother for eating all the cookies.

A2 The teacher told off the student for not completing their homework.

B1 The manager told off the employee for being late to work.

B2 The coach told off the team for not giving their best effort during the game.

C1 The supervisor told off the staff member for repeatedly making mistakes.

C2 The CEO told off the executives for their poor decision-making.

Examples of tell off in a Sentence

formal The teacher had to tell off the student for disrupting the class.

informal I had to tell my brother off for borrowing my clothes without asking.

slang I had to tell off my coworker for spreading rumors about me.

figurative The coach had to tell off the team for not giving their best effort during the game.

Grammatical Forms of tell off

• past tense: told off
• plural: tell offs
• comparative: more told off
• superlative: most told off
• present tense: tells off
• future tense: will tell off
• perfect tense: have told off
• continuous tense: is telling off
• singular: tells off
• positive degree: tells off
• infinitive: to tell off
• gerund: telling off
• participle: telling off

Origin and Evolution of tell off

First Known Use: 1601 year

Language of Origin: English

Story behind the word: The phrase 'tell off' originated in the English language.

Evolution of the word: Originally used to mean to scold or reprimand someone sternly, the phrase 'tell off' has evolved to also include the act of speaking to someone in a frank or direct manner, often in a confrontational or assertive way.