KEELHAUL Synonyms: 73 Similar and Opposite Words

keelhaul

verb

ˈkēl-ˌhȯl

Definition of keelhaul

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of keelhaul And other than a recession, which generally keelhauls buyback plans, don’t expect companies to ease off their repurchases. — Larry Light, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2019 To hell with a class action suit, these people should have been keelhauled under the Staten Island Ferry for a year. — Charles P. Pierce, Esquire, 25 Oct. 2017

Recent Examples of Synonyms for keelhaul

Verb

Historically, the United States has sent mixed messages to Europeans, encouraging them to step up but then scolding them for seeking autonomy.

— JENNIFER KAVANAGH, Foreign Affairs, 28 Aug. 2026
In fact, during testing, the handheld triggered nostalgic memories of playing Final Fantasy Legend and Mario Land 2 on long car rides to my grandparents' house, but without the eye strain and being scolded for playing in the dark as the sun set.

— Will Greenwald, PC Magazine, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of scold

Verb

Judge William Sullivan declined to declare a mistrial but sharply reprimanded the prosecution and told the jury to disregard Heilbrun’s statements on Clancy’s faith.

— Melina Khan, USA Today, 25 Aug. 2026
The lawsuit says the officer was reprimanded and removed from further field training of Wadell.

— Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of reprimand

Verb

Luann patiently attempts to explain that the women don’t like being lectured to about their business affairs, only for Vicki to abruptly answer a phone call mid-conversation.

— Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Robert Pozen, who lectures at MIT Sloan School of Management and was formerly president of Fidelity Investments, has an answer to the obvious question about who inspects this.

— Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of lecture

Verb

Heaping credit onto Espada is dangerous, but so is blaming him for every game that goes awry.

— Chandler Rome, New York Times, 31 Aug. 2026
That war ended in a humiliating defeat by an enemy regarded as much weaker, and many tsarist officials blamed the outcome on Japanese spies and saboteurs.

— Andrei Soldatov, Foreign Affairs, 31 Aug. 2026