cuss

[ kuhs ]

/ kʌs /

Informal.

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See synonyms for: cuss / cussed / cussing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to use profanity; curse; swear.

verb (used with object)

to swear at; curse: He cussed the pedestrian for getting in his way.

to criticize or reprimand in harsh terms (often followed by out): The coach cussed out the team for losing.

noun

curse word; oath.

a person or animal: a strange but likable cuss.

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of cuss

An Americanism first recorded in 1765–75; variant of curse, with loss of r and shortening of vowel, as in ass², bass², passel, etc.

OTHER WORDS FROM cuss

cuss·er, noun

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cuss

curse, cuss

Words nearby cuss

cuspid, cuspidal, cuspidate, cuspidation, cuspidor, cuss, cussed, cussing, cussword, custard, custard apple

How to use cuss in a sentence

If Republicans win big, Democrats will hang their heads and cuss the Koch brothers.
Relax—Both Parties Are Going Extinct|Nick Gillespie|November 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He's an ornery cuss kind of Republican, extremely critical of Bush and Cheney back in the day.
Rice Out? And Hagel to Defense?|Michael Tomasky|December 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
I wanted to kill the enemy and be a roughneck and cuss and spit tobacco, come home and do it again.
‘Hell And Back Again’: PBS Airs Documentary On Wounded Marine|Jesse Ellison|May 28, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Jimmy Carter united the other members, who could all agree over “what an annoying cuss Carter could be.”
Speed Read of ‘The Presidents Club,’ by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy|Ben Jacobs|April 18, 2012|DAILY BEAST

He was also an ornery, obnoxious cuss, almost universally loathed by his contemporaries.
Gladwell's Favorite Literary Outliers|Malcolm Gladwell|October 8, 2011|DAILY BEAST
I don't blame him for killin' the cuss, not a bit; I'd have shot any man livin' that 'ad taken a good horse o' mine up that trail.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson
I did think uh tryin' t' get off with their hosses, but I figured it wouldn't pay with that sharp-eared cuss on the watch.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
Cuss him to-night, ef he's alive; an' ef his bed is soff' as wool, doan let him sleep for thinkin' of Miss Dory.
The Cromptons|Mary J. Holmes
Here this young cuss, Fire Bear, is traipsin' around as he pleases, on nothin' more than his word that he'll appear for trial.
Mystery Ranch|Arthur Chapman
Texas Smith looked on with an approving grin, and suggested, "Better shute the dam cuss."
Overland|John William De Forest

British Dictionary definitions for cuss

cuss

/ (kʌs) informal /

noun

a curse; oath

a person or animal, esp an annoying one

verb

another word for curse (def. 8), curse (def. 9)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cuss

Origin of cuss

OTHER WORDS FROM cuss

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH cuss

Words nearby cuss

Words related to cuss

How to use cuss in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for cuss