Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for "cussing"
  • present participle of cuss.
Search instead for customising.
Synonyms

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.


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

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:

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

“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

I’m cussing myself for taking her out there in the first place.

From "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training