misuse
Americannoun
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wrong or improper use; misapplication.
- Synonyms:
- misappropriation, misemployment
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Obsolete. bad or abusive treatment.
verb (used with object)
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to use wrongly or improperly; misapply.
-
to treat badly or abusively; maltreat.
noun
-
erroneous, improper, or unorthodox use
misuse of words
-
cruel or inhumane treatment
verb
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to use wrongly
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to treat badly or harshly
-
to use (something, esp alcohol, drugs, etc) improperly
Etymology
Origin of misuse
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at mis- 1, use
Explanation
Misuse is using something incorrectly or in a harmful way. I warned you that repeated misuse of your cellphone would break it — I can't believe you were texting in the shower! You can use this word as a noun or a verb, with just a slight change in pronunciation. As a noun, misuse rhymes moose. But when you misuse the money your parents gave you for groceries, spending it all on candy and comic books, misuse rhymes with confuse. A less-common meaning of the verb is "treat someone badly."
Vocabulary lists containing misuse
mis-
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mis-
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Florida's B.E.S.T. Common Prefixes: mis-
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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.
Innocuous as using the term “mother” to describe an actress may ultimately be, it has been proliferated in such an extreme and exaggerated way that the expression has sprinted past “bop” in terms of misuse.
From Salon • May 10, 2026
JPMorgan has advised employees to “limit your participation in prediction markets involving JPMorgan Chase” as “others could perceive this as a misuse of information,” according to a copy of the guidance viewed by Barron’s.
From Barron's • May 7, 2026
Prosecutors say the crimes resulted in the misuse of more than $100,000.
From Los Angeles Times • May 5, 2026
Insider misuse of nonpublic information is a well-understood category of misconduct.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 5, 2026
What the warders did not tell us was that Vorster resigned as a result of press revelations about the Department of Information’s misuse of government funds.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
