as in to scold
to criticize (someone) severely or angrily especially for personal failings
there's no need to keelhaul him—it was an honest mistake, and a small one at that
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Recent Examples of keelhaul
And other than a recession, which generally keelhauls buyback plans, don’t expect companies to ease off their repurchases.
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Larry Light, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2019
The threat posed by the AT&T-Time Warner merger is all the greater today because of the Trump administration’s initiative in keelhauling network neutrality at the Federal Communications Commission.
—Michael Hiltzik, latimes.com, 12 June 2018
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keelhaul
Verb
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The Senate hauled Live Nation’s president and CFO in for a public scolding.Allison Morrow, CNN, 10 Dec. 2024
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The New York Times reported that Hegseth’s mother had sent him an email scolding him for abusing women.Doyle McManus, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The 49ers wasted no time in reprimanding Campbell for his action.Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 17 Dec. 2024
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Faced with claims of enabling fentanyl supply, officials from both China and Mexico have reprimanded the U.S. for enabling the drug’s demand.Sarah Matusek, The Christian Science Monitor, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
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No one had ever lectured on such a thing, as far as anyone could recall.Tania Roettger, The Dial, 5 Dec. 2024
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She’s also lectured on the History of Costume in Chicago, and served as an Assistant Costume Curator at the Wellesley Historical Society.thehustle.co, thehustle.co, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Kennedy has a long history of blaming vaccines for autism.Catherine Tan, TIME, 20 Dec. 2024
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The regime blamed the economic collapse on sanctions, the price Syria had to pay for standing up to foreign powers.Loubna Mrie, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near keelhaul
Cite this Entry
“Keelhaul.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keelhaul. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
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