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:
In any case, attitudes toward the S-word have changed in the last few decades, and it has lost much of its punch as a cuss word, Bergen said.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 25, 2024
“I never heard her use a cuss word my whole life,” Wylie says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 11, 2022
Reintroducing the Colonel and branding him as “The Original Celebrity Chef” represented a strategic imperative for KFC, especially in the time before “foodie” became a tiresome cuss word of its own.
From Slate ● Dec. 11, 2020
He also suggested, "Try not to use major cuss words, if you don't mind."
From Salon ● Nov. 30, 2020
“War,” said Miss Franny with her eyes still closed, “should be a cuss word, too.”
From "Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo
As such, we've replaced all cusses with "cusses."
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2015
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
Often recognized by his trademark sailor’s cap, Newman also wrote two dozen books and earned the informal title of Canada’s “most cussed and discussed commentator,” said HarperCollins, one of his publishers, in an author’s note.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 7, 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 can’t go into a lot of details—Ms. Ofrah told me not to—but I tell her we did everything One-Fifteen asked and never once cussed at him like his father claims.
From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
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
“We must always be on guard against mediocre cussing in our writing,” the novelist Katherine Dunn wrote, in a small book called “On Cussing.”
From New York Times ● Sep. 16, 2019
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
“I was by your place and the chickens were cussing up a storm to be fed,” she said.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
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