harangue

plural harangues

1. An impassioned, disputatious public speech.
2. A tirade, harsh scolding or rant, whether spoken or written.

   She gave her son a harangue about the dangers of playing in the street.

   3 more examples

   The priest took thirty minutes to deliver his harangue on timeliness, making the entire service run late.

   The king addresses his people, and the heaviest impost is levied with acclamations—the general harangues his troops, and thousands rush upon the smoking cannon and the gleaming bayonets—the lover whispers his mistress, and she forgets even herself for his sake.

   1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter XXIV, in Francesca Carrara. […], volume III, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, page 203

   But he continued his harangue without waiting for a reply.

   1895 October, Stephen Crane, chapter X, in The Red Badge of Courage: An Episode of the American Civil War, New York, N.Y.: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC, page 103

   Synonyms: admonition, condemnation, criticism, diatribe, polemic, rant, screed, tirade

present singular third person harangues · participle present haranguing · participle past harangued · past harangued

1. ambitransitiveTo give a forceful and lengthy lecture or criticism to someone.

   The angry motorist leapt from his car to harangue the other driver.

   2 more examples

   He has vamp'd an old speech, and the court to their sorrow, / Shall hear him harangue against Prior to morrow.

   1711 [December?] (date written), Jonathan Swift, “An Excellent New Song. Being the Intended Speech of a Famous Orator against Peace [i.e., Daniel Finch, 2nd Earl of Nottingham].”, in Thomas Sheridan, John Nichols, editors, The Works of the Rev. Jonathan Swift, […], new edition, volume VII, London: […] J[oseph] Johnson, […], published 1801, →OCLC, page 72

   This picture of her consequence had some effect, for no one loved better to lead than Maria;—and with far more good humour she answered, "I am much obliged to you, Edmund;—you mean very well, I am sure—but I still think you see things too strongly; and I really cannot undertake to harangue all the rest upon a subject of this kind.—There would be the greatest indecorum I think."

   1814 May 9, [Jane Austen], chapter XV, in Mansfield Park: […], volume I, London: […] [George Sidney] for T[homas] Egerton, […], →OCLC, page 293

   Synonyms: admonish, berate, lecture

2. transitiveTo deliver a public address to.

   It's a tradition that when you harangue the multitudes, you stand on a soapbox.

   1993 July 7, Bill Watterson, Calvin & Hobbes (comic)

   1 more example

   He is part of the landscape now—out there every Saturday night, haranguing the crowd round the soldiers’ monument, with a bronze Civil War infantryman standing guard over his head to assure him a hearing or his constitutional rights or something.

   1920 November 20, James H. Collins, “When Soap Box Meets Soap Box”, in The Saturday Evening Post, volume 193, number 21, page 19