Definition of REBUKE

rebuke

Plural: rebukes

Noun

  • an act or expression of criticism and censure
    • "he had to take the rebuke with a smile on his face"
  • A harsh criticism.

Verb

Verb Forms: rebuked, rebuking, rebukes

  • To express sharp disapproval or criticism of someone.
  • censure severely or angrily
  • To criticise harshly; to reprove.

Examples

  • He had to rebuke himself for missing such an obvious bingo opportunity.

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English rebuken, from Anglo-Norman rebuker (“to beat back, repel”), from re- + Old French *buker, buchier, buschier (“to strike, hack down, chop”), from busche (“wood”), from Vulgar Latin *busca (“wood, grove”), from Frankish *busk (“grove”), from Proto-Germanic *buskaz (“bush”); equivalent to re- + bush.

Synonyms

bawl out, berate, call down, call on the carpet, chew out, chew up, chide, dress down, have words, jaw, lambast, lambaste, lecture, rag, remonstrate, reprehension, reprimand, reproof, reproval, scold, take to task, trounce, admonish, admonition, animadvert, bash, berisp, blast, castigate, censure, chastise, condemn, criticize, denounce, denunciate, drag, eat someone alive, excoriate, find fault, fulminate, get down, get up, give somebody a piece of one's mind, give somebody what-for, inveigh, lace into, light into, objurgate, pooh-pooh, put someone on blast, rate, read somebody the riot act, rebuke, reprehend, reproach, reprove, rip into, rubbish, savage, slam, tear into, tell off, threap, tick off, tosh, upbraid, vilify, vituperate

Scrabble Score: 12

rebuke: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
rebuke: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
rebuke: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 14

rebuke: valid Words With Friends Word