gave someone a speaking to

A form of give someone a speaking to — To scold a person.

Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbgave someone
  1. participlepastsimple past and past participle of give someone a speaking to
Cite this entry
APA

gave someone a speaking to. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gave%20someone%20a%20speaking%20to

MLA

“gave someone a speaking to.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gave%20someone%20a%20speaking%20to. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “gave someone a speaking to,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/gave%20someone%20a%20speaking%20to.

Source: gave someone a speaking to on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.