cussing

American  

[kuhs-ing] / ˈkʌs ɪŋ /

noun

1. the act or practice of cursing or swearing.

   Keep the cussing to a minimum, as there are kids around.

2. the act of criticizing or reprimanding someone in harsh language (usually followed byout ).

   After three fouls, the player was pulled from the field and got a good cussing out from his coach.

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adjective

1. cursing or swearing.

   A cussing parrot has landed a woman in court for allegedly teaching the bird to swear at her neighbor.

Etymology

Origin of cussing

First recorded in 1830–40; cuss ( def. ) + -ing ¹ ( def. ) for the noun senses; cuss ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. ) for the adjective sense

Example Sentences

“But that’ll die out if there’s no emotional current underneath. The cussing has context. As long as there is an emotional story underneath the bells and whistles of cussing, then that works.”

From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2024

Is cussing a part of communication for Scientology believers, one officially sanctioned or dictated?

From Salon • Apr. 29, 2022

“They are under attack constantly,” he said, noting that police officers decades ago could “arrest someone for cussing them out,” until court rulings curtailed such police powers.

From New York Times • Apr. 21, 2021

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

Related Words

• bane
• expletive
• obscenity
• profanity
• whammy