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:
Homegrown businesses, such as beauty brand Amortals and streetwear label Wah Yan Ching Nin, have also placed ads outside shopping malls across the country, calling for an end to animal abuse.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
“There is little real evidence,” she argues, “that homeschooling either causes abuse or correlates with higher levels of abuse than other schooling practices.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
“I think you’ll see a challenge there — that there’s just been an overreach and abuse of this particular statute,” Hillman said.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Strict agency rules have long required an open bidding process whenever possible to guard against waste, fraud and abuse.
From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2026
That’s $10,000 going into her pocket that does not go into yours, a nifty profit produced by the abuse of information and a keen understanding of incentives.
From "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything" by Steven D. Levitt
The House Problem Solvers Caucus is pushing for national redistricting standards that could end the worst abuses.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 19, 2026
Davies hopes the documentary raises awareness of the harm caused by hidden spy cameras and reinforces that abuses of privacy and "consent should never be normalised".
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
"The proposal must not have loopholes that allow abuses," Canfin, who will also take part in negotiations on behalf of the parliament, said.
From Barron's ● Jul. 6, 2026
They claimed the technology led to their detention and human-rights abuses in China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026
They are trained in Torrance to travel across the United States, give presentations, and raise awareness about human rights abuses in North Korea.
From "Escape from Camp 14: One Man's Remarkable Odyssey from North Korea to Freedom in the West" by Blaine Harden
“The trial court abused its discretion by considering incompetent evidence in support of the temporary injunction,” the three-judge panel wrote.
From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026
“Unfortunately, our investigation has identified several individuals who apparently abused their position of trust for personal gain,” says Peter Luccarelli, a managing partner at Brightpoint.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026
"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
After all I abused it much in the night when it was necessary to free and untie the various lines.
From "The Old Man and The Sea" by Ernest Hemingway
Being born with good genes and not abusing them, along with remaining active can be a big plus.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 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
The European Commission originally fined Google 4.34 billion euros in 2018 for abusing its dominant position.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
"There is still the misconception that people who need the foodbank don't want to work and are just abusing the system, which is really not the case," she added.
From BBC ● Jun. 18, 2026
"Stop abusing the dead for your own selfish ends," I said.
From "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison
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.
