ill-use
[verb il-yooz; noun il-yoos]
- to treat badly, unjustly, cruelly, etc.
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- Also ill-us·age. bad, unjust, or cruel treatment.
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Origin of ill-use
First recorded in 1835–45
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for ill-use
Historical Examples
He preached it to his daughter that the fellow might ill-use her in some way.
Amy FosterJoseph Conrad
When he entered the house she said, 'Why did you allow them to ill-use my son.'
Real Ghost StoriesWilliam T. Stead
For them, who now ill-use you, you have gone through life but half a man.
Long Live the KingMary Roberts Rinehart
Yes, we may so ill-use our bodies that the watchman sleeps at his post!
My Daily Meditation for the Circling YearJohn Henry Jowett
He will ill-use us all,—and yet, major, you are going to leave us.
Love and IntrigueFriedrich Schiller
ill-use
- to use badly or cruelly; abuse; maltreat
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- harsh or cruel treatment; abuse
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Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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