abuse
Americanverb (used with object)
-
abuses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
abused,
past participle, past
-
abusing
present participle
-
to use wrongly or improperly; misuse.
to abuse one's authority.
- Synonyms:
- misapply
-
to treat in a harmful, injurious, or offensive way.
to abuse a horse; to abuse one's eyesight.
-
to speak insultingly, harshly, and unjustly to or about; revile; malign.
- Synonyms:
- scold, berate, vituperate, vilify, traduce, calumniate, defame, slander
- Antonyms:
- praise
-
to commit sexual assault upon.
-
Obsolete. to deceive or mislead.
noun
-
abuses
plural
-
wrong or improper use; misuse.
the abuse of privileges.
- Synonyms:
- misapplication
-
harshly or coarsely insulting language.
The officer heaped abuse on his men.
- Antonyms:
- praise
-
bad or improper treatment; maltreatment.
The child was subjected to cruel abuse.
-
a corrupt or improper practice or custom.
the abuses of a totalitarian regime.
-
rape or sexual assault.
-
Obsolete. deception.
idioms
verb
-
to use incorrectly or improperly; misuse
-
to maltreat, esp physically or sexually
-
to speak insultingly or cruelly to; revile
-
(reflexive) to masturbate
noun
-
improper, incorrect, or excessive use; misuse
-
maltreatment of a person; injury
-
insulting, contemptuous, or coarse speech
-
an evil, unjust, or corrupt practice
-
See child abuse
-
archaic a deception
Usage
What does abuse mean? Warning: This article involves discussion of the sensitive topics of physical and emotional abuse and substance abuse. If you or someone you know needs support, please visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline site to chat or call the hotline at 1-800-799-7233. For support with substance abuse, call the National Helpline at 1-800-662-4357. The verb abuse most commonly means to mistreat and cause harm to a person or an animal. The noun abuse refers to such mistreatment. The victim of the abuse or the kind of abuse is often specified before the word, as in child abuse, spousal abuse, animal abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse. A person who abuses someone can be called an abuser, and such a person is said to be abusive. Abuse can also be used as a verb meaning to misuse something or as a noun meaning misuse—referring to the overuse or improper use of things. This sense of the word is especially seen in the phrases alcohol abuse, drug abuse, substance abuse, and abuse of power. As a verb, abuse is pronounced uh-BYOOZ. As a noun, it’s pronounced uh-BYOOS. This same pronunciation pattern is seen in the verb and noun forms of the word use (which rhyme with the verb and noun forms of abuse, respectively). Example: Just because it’s not physical doesn’t mean it’s not abuse—emotional abuse can leave its own scars.
Synonym Usage
Abuse, censure, invective all mean strongly expressed disapproval. Abuse implies an outburst of harsh and scathing words against another (often one who is defenseless): abuse directed against an opponent. Censure implies blame, adverse criticism, or hostile condemnation: severe censure of acts showing bad judgment. Invective applies to strong but formal denunciation in speech or print, often in the public interest: invective against graft.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
abusernoun
-
overabusenoun
-
abusableadjective
-
antiabuseadjective
-
unabusableadjective
-
unabusedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
abusesimple
-
abusessimple
-
have abusedperfect
-
has abusedperfect
-
am abusingprogressive
-
are abusingprogressive
-
is abusingprogressive
-
have been abusingperfect progressive
-
has been abusingperfect progressive
Past
-
abusedsimple
-
had abusedperfect
-
was abusingprogressive
-
were abusingprogressive
-
had been abusingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of abuse
First recorded in 1400–50; (for the noun) late Middle English abus, from Middle French, from Latin abūsus “misuse, waste,” noun use of past participle of abūtī “to use up, misuse,” from ab- ab- + ūtī “to use, employ, enjoy”; see also use; verb derivative of the noun
Explanation
If you abuse someone, it means you are hurting that person, mentally, emotionally, or physically. If someone else is harming you, you are yourself suffering from abuse. The word abuse is made up of two parts — "use," which means to employ, and ab-, a Latin prefix meaning "away" — and as a whole comes from the Latin abūsus, meaning "misuse," or "use wrongly." It began as a verb and became a noun in the mid-15th century. Abuse also refers to anything that is employed improperly or to excess, such as the abuse of alcohol or drugs.
Vocabulary lists containing abuse
Common Five-letter Words for Wordle, List 4
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Macbeth's "Is this a dagger..." soliloquy
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Herbert Hoover on "Rugged Individualism" (1928)
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The crime of human trafficking, as defined by the United Nations, involves the illegal recruitment, transportation or harbouring of people through fraud, deception or abuse of power.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
But the Westerman/Gosar investigation is a serious attempt to get a better handle on how the abuse works in practice, with letters going to all 19 organizations demanding written answers and in-person testimony.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026
Nepal is cracking down on online abuse directed at survivors of last month's deadly floods, with Prime Minister Balendra Shah warning that authorities will "show no leniency" to people who "belittle" those who are suffering.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
According to Short, Byfield, the chapel's minister, and another man responded with 'torrents of abuse'.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
The guy helping me was taking most of the abuse because he was in the lead, turned half sideways, shouldering his way through the bouncing bodies.
From "Anthem of a Reluctant Prophet" by Joanne Proulx
But he said Essayli and Dhillon will need to prosecute individual deputies if they find evidence of individual abuses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
The Rome Statute allows the court to intervene in most cases only when national authorities are unwilling or unable to investigate abuses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Here's what you need to know about the clothing giant, which has faced allegations of labour and environmental abuses as well as regulatory scrutiny abroad.
From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026
The Duke of Sussex has stepped down from the board of an African wildlife charity whose rangers had been found to have committed human rights abuses against indigenous people.
From BBC ● Aug. 24, 2026
The spraying is not only improperly planned but studded with abuses such as these.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
Yes, every system, in every field, gets abused.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
The Metropolitan Police has apologised after it inadvertently disclosed email addresses of around 140 women who say they were sexually abused by the late Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
She digs into why it’s so appealing—and why it’s also become the most abused trope on BookTok.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
Blair, whose IMDb site lists dozens of movies and television shows dating back to 1968, founded the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation in 2003 to rehabilitate and rescue abandoned and abused animals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 3, 2026
The whole conversation ran on the breakfast, which one and all abused roundly.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
I have read and replied to many cautionary tales about people abusing their responsibilities.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 9, 2026
That hasn’t kept him from abusing other trade powers delegated by Congress.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
“Who wants to be accused of abusing children?” said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026
In 1890, the North River Sugar Refining Corporation was dissolved by New York’s highest court on the grounds that it was abusing its power as a corporation.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2026
The Germans are upset at stories that Czechs and Poles are abusing ethnic Germans living in Czechoslovakia and Poland.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
