MEANING
To attack someone or something with severe, often public, criticism.
Use it for
Describe severe, emphatic criticism.Signals unusually forceful criticism without resorting to a generic “criticized.”
Words that belong together
- lambaste a proposal
- lambaste someone publicly
- be lambasted by critics
On the page
The reviewer lambasted the novel for flattening its complicated characters.
Nearby words
Opposite meanings
Word forms
- Base
- lambaste
- Past tense
- lambasted
- Past participle
- lambasted
- Present participle
- lambasting
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- lambaste
- Present continuous
- am/is/are lambasting
- Present perfect
- have/has lambasted
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been lambasting
- Past
- lambasted
- Past continuous
- was/were lambasting
- Past perfect
- had lambasted
- Past perfect continuous
- had been lambasting
- Future
- will lambaste
- Future continuous
- will be lambasting
- Future perfect
- will have lambasted
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been lambasting
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Strong and often dramatic; “lambast” is a recognized spelling variant, but “lambaste” is the chosen headword here.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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