1 C1 idiomatic informal
To reprimand or scold someone very loudly. (Dialectal/rare variant of 'bawl out')
"The foreman bawled him off in front of the whole crew for arriving late again."
separable
bawl off
C1 informal separable transitive
To scold or reprimand someone loudly and angrily. (Rare, chiefly dialectal variant of 'bawl out')
In plain English
To shout at someone because they did something wrong.
What does "bawl off" mean?
One main meaning — here's how to use it.
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
To bawl (shout) someone off — to drive them away or shame them with shouting.
Actually means
To shout at someone because they did something wrong.
Usage tip
Extremely rare. Largely a dialectal or archaic variant of 'bawl out.' Learners should prefer 'bawl out,' which is widely understood. Use of 'bawl off' may not be recognized by all native speakers.
Words that pair with "bawl off"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
boss teacher parent manager mistake loudly
How to conjugate "bawl off"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
bawl off
I/you/we/they
3rd person
bawls off
he/she/it
Past simple
bawled off
yesterday
Past participle
bawled off
have + pp
-ing form
bawling off
continuous
Hear "bawl off" in the wild
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