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
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012Other Word Forms
- cusser noun
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.
And then there’s the viral footage of a food delivery driver on his bike cussing out a phalanx of armed Border Patrol agents in downtown Chicago last month.
From Los Angeles Times
He used to cuss out Ronald Reagan whenever his name was mentioned.
From Los Angeles Times
But that cussing and fussing brings up a larger point: Democrats are desperate to prove how serious and passionate they are about fixing themselves.
From Los Angeles Times
He said of his own public comments: “I was told that I cussed too much.”
From Los Angeles Times
Last September, she went viral for cussing a photographer who'd been shouting abuse at stars on the red carpet of the MTV Awards.
From BBC
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.
