From Middle English rebuken, from Anglo-Norman rebuker (“to beat back, repel”), from re- + Old French *buker, buchier, buschier (“to strike, hack down, chop”), from busche (“wood”), from Vulgar Latin *busca (“wood, grove”), from Frankish *busk (“grove”), from Proto-Germanic *buskaz (“bush”); equivalent to re- + bush.
Meanings
(of a person) A harsh criticism.
There was the sternness of an old-fashioned Tour patron in his rebuke to the young Frenchman Pierre Rolland, the only one to ride away from the peloton and seize the opportunity for a lone attack before being absorbed back into the bunch, where he was received with coolness. 2012 July 15, Richard Williams, “Tour de France 2012: Carpet tacks cannot force Bradley Wiggins off track”, in Guardian Unlimited, archived from the original on 25 Jun 2022:
U.S. Vice President JD Vance met Saturday with the Vatican's No. 2 official, following a remarkable papal rebuke of the Trump administration’s crackdown on migrants and Vance’s theological justification of it. 2025 April 19, Nicole Winfield, “JD Vance visits the Vatican for Easter after papal rebuke over Trump's migrant crackdown”, in The Christian Science Monitor, archived from the original on 28 Apr 2025:
With his emphasis on accepting the science (he was a trained chemist) – and hence his stern rebuke to the climate change deniers and the politicians who courted them – he even managed to reset the relationship between science and religion, which had been rocky ever since Galileo fell foul of the Inquisition 400 years earlier. 2025 April 21, Peter Stanford, “Pope Francis obituary”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 30 Apr 2025:
From Middle English rebuken, from Anglo-Norman rebuker (“to beat back, repel”), from re- + Old French *buker, buchier, buschier (“to strike, hack down, chop”), from busche (“wood”), from Vulgar Latin *busca (“wood, grove”), from Frankish *busk (“grove”), from Proto-Germanic *buskaz (“bush”); equivalent to re- + bush.
Meanings
(of a person) To criticise harshly; to reprove.
O Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger or discipline me in Your wrath. 2011, Biblica, Holy Bible: New International Version, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, →ISBN, 6:(please specify the verse(s)):
When Morrison mulls the pluses and minuses associated with rebuking Kelly for undermining the government’s public health messaging, the prime minister faces a genuine substantive dilemma, and that goes to the risks of amplification. 2021 February 2, Katharine Murphy, “Scott Morrison must heed the lesson of Donald Trump and slap down Craig Kelly”, in The Guardian, archived from the original on 27 Apr 2021:
fr chapitrer (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fr passer un savon (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de rügen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · it ammonire (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · sk sprdnúť (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · uk докоряти (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · pl rugać (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ca esbroncar (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · kk тыю (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · el μέμφομαι (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ru упрека́ть (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ja 叱る (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · cs vyčítat (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · pl besztać (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ga aifir (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ko 비난하다 (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · id menegur (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · af berispe (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · gl rifar (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · id bentur (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · it richiamare (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · kk жазғыру (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ja 非難する (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ang þrafian (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · es retar (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · el επιτιμώ (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de Ärger machen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · nl aansporen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · kw keredhi (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de maßregeln (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · uk картати (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de schimpfen mit (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · eo riproĉi (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fi sättiä (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ru упрекну́ть (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · pt criticar (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · pt censurar (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ko 힐책하다 (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · rup ncaciu (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · wa sounayrer (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · pl zbesztać (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ne गाली गर्नु (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · pt incriminar (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fr gourmander (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · id mengganjar (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fr pourrir (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fr mettre une chasse (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fi läksyttää (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ro mustra (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de schelten (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fy ferwite (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · es regañar (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · se skuldot (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ca reganyar (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · nl terechtwijzen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · sw kulaumu (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · se ávžžuhit (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de verwarnen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fr désapprouver (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · el επιπλήττω (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ja 叱責する (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de Vorhaltungen machen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fa سرکوفت زدن (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fi haukkua (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · se addáladdat (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · mi pātotoi (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · es reprochar (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · sw kukemea (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · pt repreender (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · gl poñer a pan pedir (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de zurechtweisen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · no bestride (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de mahnen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · bug ᨙᨌᨙᨌ (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ro certa (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · el αποπαίρνω (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ru руга́ть (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · pap reprochá (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · uk сварити (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · yue 鬧 /闹 (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · se cuiget (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de warnen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fi moittia (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ka ლანძღვა (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ta திட்டு (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · uga 𐎂𐎓𐎗 (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · is átelja (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · wa barboter (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · es reprehender (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ca reprendre (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · bg порицавам (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ru брани́ть (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fr gronder (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · it riprendere (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fr reprocher (s.o. for sth.: qqch. à qqn) (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · se láitit (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · cmn 譴責 /谴责 (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fr tancer (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · af beknor (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · tr azarlamak (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · la obiurgō (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de abmahnen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · kk сөгіс беру (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · sk vyčítať (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ru отчита́ть (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · it rimproverare (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · nl manen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · se huvdet (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de einen Verweis erteilen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · uk дорікати (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de tadeln (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · no bebreide (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · it sgridare (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · sk skritizovať (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fr engueuler (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · my ဆူ (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · mi whakangutungutu (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fr reprendre (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ta கண்டி (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · se láittášit (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ta அதட்டு (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · cmn 指責 /指责 (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · da irettesætte (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · gd cronaich (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · pl zrugać (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de ausschimpfen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · nl aanmanen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de verweisen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · cmn 訓斥 /训斥 (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fi parjata (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · cmn 非難 /非难 (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ga spreag (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ko 질책하다 (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · sv förebrå (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · io reprimandar (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · gd càin (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de abkanzeln (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · nl verwijten (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · rup ntsertu (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · zdj ulaumu (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · sv läsa lusen av någon (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ka საყვედურობს (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · sv tillrättavisa (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · sco upcast (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · es reprobar (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de ermahnen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · gd troid (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ru отчи́тывать (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ca renyar (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · chr ᎠᏍᎦᎦ (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · eo skoldi (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · ru де́лать вы́говор (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · fr réprimander (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · cmn 罵 /骂 (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · bg укорявам (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · da bebrejde (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · sv förevita (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · se bealkit (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · se vuoiŋŋidit (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · es reprender (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · kk ұрысу (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · nl berispen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · eo admoni (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · id berbenturan (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de Vorwürfe machen (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · it rimbrottare (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · cmn 叱 (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · de rüffeln (to criticise harshly; to reprove) · nl beknorren (to criticise harshly; to reprove)