cuss
Americanverb (used without object)
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 byout ).
The coach cussed out the team for losing.
noun
-
a person or animal.
a strange but likable cuss.
noun
-
a curse; oath
-
a person or animal, esp an annoying one
verb
Other Word Forms
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.
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
“They told him not to cuss and he stopped,” a woman can be heard telling an officer in the video.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 13, 2022
He also suggested, "Try not to use major cuss words, if you don't mind."
From Salon • Nov. 30, 2020
This is ladies’ and we are all “ladies” here, forbidden, by storewide rule, to raise our voices or cuss.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
