Meaning & use
ream
To criticize or scold someone very harshly and at length, usually in an informal setting.
See it in a sentence
The coach reamed the entire team out after they missed practice without notice.
Her boss reamed her for submitting the report a full week late.
A note on using this word
This informal sense is usually paired with 'out', as in 'ream someone out'; ream also has an unrelated technical meaning of widening a hole with a tool.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. verb
To enlarge or smooth a hole using a rotating cutting tool.
The machinist reamed the bolt hole to fit the larger screw.
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