cuss
Americanverb (used without object)
-
cusses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cussed,
past participle, past
-
cussing
present participle
verb (used with object)
-
cusses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
cussed,
past participle, past
-
cussing
present participle
-
to swear at; curse.
He cussed the pedestrian for getting in his way.
-
to criticize or reprimand in harsh terms (often followed byout ).
The coach cussed out the team for losing.
noun
-
a curse; oath
-
a person or animal, esp an annoying one
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
cusssimple
-
cussessimple
-
have cussedperfect
-
has cussedperfect
-
am cussingprogressive
-
are cussingprogressive
-
is cussingprogressive
-
have been cussingperfect progressive
-
has been cussingperfect progressive
Past
-
cussedsimple
-
had cussedperfect
-
was cussingprogressive
-
were cussingprogressive
-
had been cussingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of cuss
An Americanism first recorded in 1765–75; variant of curse, with loss of r and shortening of vowel, as in ass 2, bass 2, passel, etc.
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:
Oftentimes I would talk people down from this righteous anger, then I would be like, “So don’t cuss people out you don’t know,” and then they’d be like, “Yeah, you’re right.”
From Slate ● Mar. 2, 2023
There’s not much sense in being the richest miserable cuss in the cemetery.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 3, 2022
Instead I had become a public-interest lawyer, before my disease took that from me, and had allowed myself to cuss occasionally, but this was a real departure.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 29, 2022
"Heck, yes. But am I going to allow a child to cuss anyone out? Heck, no."
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2021
“So, has anyone ever told you that you cuss a lot?” he says finally.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
“Obviously, Jared cusses, and I’ve told people that, and they’re so surprised,” Williams said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2022
On Guy Fieri: “He cusses like a chef,” Helle said.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 19, 2015
Just because somebody cusses doesn’t make them a bad person and just because a guy doesn’t cuss doesn’t make him a good person.
From New York Times ● Aug. 19, 2010
I heard a lot of things, cusses and cheers, jokes and conches, horns and drums, but nothing that sounded like a distinctive phrase.
From The Guardian ● May 5, 2010
I didn’t know what most of Doug Swieteck’s brother’s cusses meant, either, and it didn’t make all that much difference.
From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt
“He never yelled at me. Never cussed at me. Never lost his temper with me or the kids,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 5, 2026
It was a performance that recalled the cussed stubbornness of great England teams past.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2023
Over her refusal to comply with the school’s mandate, Smith told the paper that people have "cussed her out" and that some of her best friends "won’t talk to me."
From Fox News ● Oct. 11, 2021
I was immediately reminded how much this cussed band of trans-Atlantic artists and activists, formed almost four decades ago, feels like extended musical family to me, as they do to so many fans.
From Slate ● Dec. 28, 2016
I once asked Gram if she would really go back to the egg man if Gramps cussed too much.
From "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech
Neither is he known for casually cussing in private.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
As late as 1974, Richard Pryor was arrested for “disorderly conduct” simply for cussing in his stand-up act.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 26, 2023
Is cussing a part of communication for Scientology believers, one officially sanctioned or dictated?
From Salon ● Apr. 29, 2022
Partly because so much of the audio was cut out for cussing, it wasn’t the best-sounding Grammy performance, but it was probably the most alive moment of the night.
From Slate ● Feb. 11, 2019
Uncle Phil’s voice roars to life in my head, spewing the words he uses to avoid cussing in front of me.
From "I Can Make This Promise" by Christine Day
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.
