abuse
verb (used with object)
to use wrongly or improperly; misuse.
are abusing
-
present progressiveof abuse.present progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or state that is currently taking place in the immediate present.
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.
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 14th Amendment also gives Congress authority to investigate whether states are abusing the rights of their citizens.
From New York Times ● Apr. 5, 2023
We should call out criminals like this who are abusing the system.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2023
"Courts do sanction lawyers when they believe the lawyers are abusing the courts in this way," the legal ethics expert said.
From Salon ● Jan. 9, 2023
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
