abuse
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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
-
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
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abusernoun
-
overabusenoun
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abusableadjective
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antiabuseadjective
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unabusableadjective
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unabusedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
abusesimple
-
abusessimple
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have abusedperfect
-
has abusedperfect
-
am abusingprogressive
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are abusingprogressive
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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
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Macbeth's "Is this a dagger..." soliloquy
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Herbert Hoover on "Rugged Individualism" (1928)
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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:
As an adult running a “high-risk” Christian ministry, Marx says he rescued 45,000 women and children from captivity and abuse.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
The policy, which comes into effect in September, "combats rampant visa abuse, and strengthens national security through regular vetting", the Department of Homeland Security said.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
It said that all detainees are held in accordance with the law, with full regard for their basic rights, including medical care, and that complaints or allegations of abuse are investigated.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
Companies seeking to introduce generative AI services currently must clear a vetting process by the government that focuses on safety and preventing abuse.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Vexed and annoyed, I cried out to the absent Hamlet, “You are a knave indeed to abuse me so with your lies and promises! You are not worthy of my love!”
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
The House Problem Solvers Caucus is pushing for national redistricting standards that could end the worst abuses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Still, pressure is building on Israel to provide a more thorough accounting of its prisons, as more reports of alleged abuses come to light, report Feliz Solomon and Anat Peled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 15, 2026
The report is the fruit of the Moscow Mechanism, a process triggered by the OSCE's 41 states on May 14 to allow independent experts to investigate grave human rights abuses in the conflict.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
Inspired by Khalra's life, the film follows an activist investigating alleged human rights abuses during Punjab's separatist insurgency, one of the bloodiest chapters in modern Indian history.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
He urged the migrants to step forward and report abuses.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
"It is the state that has progressively abused the process."
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
A California state bill seeks to remove abused and neglected animals from crowded municipal shelters during their owners’ criminal cases.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 8, 2026
The EU said Google abused its market dominance as a search engine by promoting its own comparison-shopping service in search results and demoting those of competitors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the new system would protect "genuine refugees" while "closing loopholes that have been too often abused".
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
It looked eerily similar in design to the boys’ locker room at Burnt Mill Creek High School, except this one was just a little more battered and abused.
From "100 Sideways Miles" by Andrew Smith
To many people, the question is not whether these efforts will help, but why role models like coaches and parents are abusing officials in the first place.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The commission, the EU's antitrust regulator, had accused Google of abusing the popularity of its Android operating system to restrict competition.
From Barron's ● Jul. 2, 2026
As he faces accusations of abusing his position of power, how did he rise to such wealth and influence?
From BBC ● Jun. 8, 2026
Far from abusing the courts with frivolous appeals, the exonerees we interviewed described being thwarted at every attempt due to appellate and postconviction processes that prioritize procedural regularity over the substance of their innocence claims.
From Slate ● May 29, 2026
One by one, Seabiscuit disposed of the Howard horses in morning workouts, merrily abusing them as he ran.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
