read someone the riot act
English · Thesaurus
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
read someone the riot act
Where it comes from
The Riot Act is a historical British Act of Parliament enacted in 1714, which stated that once a statutory warning was read out to rioters and they failed to disperse within one hour, then authorities may use any force to disperse them with impunity.
verb reads someone the riot act · reading someone the riot act · read someone the riot act · read the riot act · read the Riot Act
-
To scold or berate somebody; to reprimand.
She really read him the riot act about his smoking habit.
Similar: admonish, animadvert, bash, bawl out, tilt, clobber, cannonade, slash, lash, blame, scorch, blast
- To give a formal warning for a riotous assembly to disperse, usually through reading a section of the Riot Act. ‘Nothing but vigorous measures will do in these times, Grummer,’ said the magistrate, in a determined manner. ‘If the authority of the king’s officers is set at naught, we must have the riot act read. If the civil power cannot protect these windows, Grummer, the military must protect the civil power
Translations
Every language
verb scold or berate
| Español | leer la cartilla, cantar las cuarenta, regañar |
|---|---|
| Português | passar o maior sabão, dar um sermão |
| Français | chanter la messe en breton, rappeler à l'ordre |
| Deutsch | die Leviten lesen |
| Italiano | dare una lavata di capo, rimproverare |
| Русский | устро́ить головомойку ustróitʹ golovomojku |
Talk about this word "read someone the riot act." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/read%20someone%20the%20riot%20act. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. read someone the riot act. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/read%20someone%20the%20riot%20act "read someone the riot act." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/read%20someone%20the%20riot%20act.Cite this
@misc{read_someone_the_riot_act_2026,
title = {read someone the riot act},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/read%20someone%20the%20riot%20act},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
