Meaning trap
dress down
criticize
to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong; to scold or reprimand.
Don't mix these meanings
Same phrase, different job.
to speak angrily to someone because they have done something wrong; to scold or reprimand.
Another meaning of 'dress down' is 'wear casual clothes'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.
Hear it in context
Notice where the phrase sounds natural.
- The manager dressed him down for being late again.work
- If an employee makes a serious mistake, their boss might dress them down to make sure it doesn't happen again.IELTS speaking
Fix the pattern
Pattern: dress someone down (for something)
WrongThe coach dressed down to the players.
RightThe coach dressed down the players. / dressed the players down.
'Dress down' takes the person directly — no 'to'.
Patterndress someone down (for something)
Use it right
Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.
'Dress down' (or 'give a dressing-down') is the idiom for a sharp telling-off; 'reprimanded severely' is HR minutes.
Build natural chunks
Words that usually travel with it.
dress + person + downdressed him downin publica dressing-downthe team
Don't confuse it
Not related to clothes in this sense; it's about telling someone off.
Related
- dress down (wear casual clothes) — Another meaning of 'dress down' is 'wear casual clothes'; compare the examples to keep the meanings separate.