From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishscoldscold /skəʊld $ skoʊld/ verb [transitive] TELL somebody OFFto angrily criticize someone, especially a child, about something they have done SYN tell off Do not scold the puppy, but simply and firmly say ‘no’.scold somebody for (doing) something Her father scolded her for upsetting her mother. —scolding noun [countable, uncountable] I got a scolding from my teacher.RegisterIn everyday English, people usually say tell someone off rather than scold someone:She told us off for making a mess.→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
scold• Her voice was stern, just short of scolding.• I dreaded the thought of going home and being scolded by my father.• Our parents were strict and we were frequently scolded for our bad behaviour.• He hated everything that was happening at first, scolded her, as if it were her fault.• Don't scold him for doing badly at school, he's doing his best.• He scolds me for leaving the flat.• I scolded myself for repeatedly thinking of them.• But the first lady of this portrait can also be a scold, stand-offish and sanctimonious.• The adverts scold us and cajole us and wheedle us and fawn us to keep up with the Joneses.scold somebody for (doing) something• She scolded another student for being a tattletale.• If he were to speak, I know it would be to scold me for crying like I am.• It would have to be the chapel, Isabel decided, scolding herself for her cowardly hesitation.• She remembered that Aycliffe had brought up the matter of clothes, that Benedict himself had scolded her for her nip-cheese ways.• He scolds me for leaving the flat.• I scolded myself for repeatedly thinking of them.• The committee scolded obesity researchers for the short-sightedness of many of their studies.• When the cook returns Stubb scolds him for the way the meat is cooked.Origin scold (1200-1300) Probably from a Scandinavian language 