give someone a speaking to

verb

To scold a person.

“When she comes home I will certainly be giving her a speaking to about breaking curfew.”

Similar
beratechastisescoldadmonishanimadvertbashbawl outtilt
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbgive someone a speaking to (third-person singular simple present gives someone a speaking to, present participle giving someone a speaking to, simple past and past participle gave someone a speaking to)

present singular third person gives someone a speaking to · participle present giving someone a speaking to · participle past gave someone a speaking to · past gave someone a speaking to

  1. idiomaticTo scold a person.

    When she comes home I will certainly be giving her a speaking to about breaking curfew.

    Synonyms: berate, chastise, scold, admonish, animadvert, bash, bawl out, tilt

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo scold a person.

Similar
beratechastisescoldadmonishanimadvertbashbawl outtiltclobbercannonadeslashlashblamescorchblastberateberispcastigatecensurecharge
Cite this entry
APA

give someone a speaking to. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/give%20someone%20a%20speaking%20to

MLA

“give someone a speaking to.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/give%20someone%20a%20speaking%20to. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “give someone a speaking to,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/give%20someone%20a%20speaking%20to.

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