Definition of ABUSE

abuse

Plural: abuses

Noun

  • cruel or inhumane treatment
    • "the child showed signs of physical abuse"
  • a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
    • "when a student made a stupid mistake he spared them no abuse"
  • improper or excessive use
    • "alcohol abuse"
    • "the abuse of public funds"
  • Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom.
  • Misuse; improper use; perversion.
  • A delusion; an imposture; misrepresentation; deception.
  • Coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; language that unjustly or angrily vilifies.
  • Catachresis.
  • Physical maltreatment; injury; cruel treatment.
  • Violation; defilement; rape; forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another, often on a repeated basis.

Verb

Verb Forms: abused, abusing, abuses

  • To use something to bad effect or for a bad purpose.
  • treat badly
    • "This boss abuses his workers"
  • change the inherent purpose or function of something
    • "Don't abuse the system"
  • use foul or abusive language towards
    • "The actress abused the policeman who gave her a parking ticket"
  • use wrongly or improperly or excessively
    • "Her husband often abuses alcohol"
    • "while she was pregnant, she abused drugs"
  • To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to use improperly; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert
  • To injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty, especially repeatedly.
  • To attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile; malign; to speak in an offensive manner to or about someone; to disparage.
  • To imbibe a drug for a purpose other than it was intended; to intentionally take more of a drug than was prescribed for recreational reasons; to take illegal drugs habitually.
  • To violate; defile; to rape; (reflexive) to masturbate.
  • Misrepresent; adulterate.
  • To deceive; to trick; to impose on; misuse the confidence of.
  • Disuse.

Examples

  • All abuse, whether physical, verbal, psychological or sexual, is bad.
  • Don’t abuse the ’S’ tile; save it for a high-scoring plural.
  • He abused his authority.
  • human rights abuses

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English abusen, then from either Old French abus (“improper use”), or from Latin abūsus (“misused, using up”), perfect active participle of abūtor (“make improper use of, consume, abuse”), from ab (“away”) + ūtor (“to use”). Equivalent to ab- + use.

Synonyms

blackguard, clapperclaw, contumely, ill-treat, ill-treatment, ill-usage, ill-use, insult, maltreat, maltreatment, mistreat, misuse, pervert, revilement, shout, step, vilification, abusage, abuse, abusio, afflict, affront, aggrieve, annoy, bewound, burn, carry, con, counterfeit, cut down, damage, damnify, deceive, dere, dis, disrespect, diss, dissemble, dissimulate, do damage to, do evil, do for, do harm, do ill, do violence to, feign, forwork, give stick, grieve, harm, harrow, heckle, hurt, hurt someone's feelings, hustle, injure, invective, jiff, lapidate, make mischief, maul, misbid, misdo, misrespect, molest, offend, oppress, opprobrium, outrage, overburden, overreach, pain, persecute, put on, put someone in hospital, qualifier, reproach, revile, run down, scaith, scathe, scurrility, sham, sledge, slight, sneap, spoof, trample on, tread on, trick, vilify, vituperate, vulnerate, weigh down, weigh heavy on, wet, wound

Scrabble Score: 7

abuse: valid Scrabble (US) TWL Word
abuse: valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
abuse: valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 9

abuse: valid Words With Friends Word