abuse

noun \ ə-ˈbyüs \

Updated on: 17 Apr 2018

Definition of abuse

1 : a corrupt practice or custom

the buying of votes and other election abuses

2 : improper or excessive use or treatment : misuse

drug abuse

3 : language that condemns or vilifies usually unjustly, intemperately, and angrily

verbal abuse

a term of abuse

4 : physical maltreatment

child abuse

sexual abuse

5 obsolete : a deceitful act : deception

See abuse defined for English-language learners

Examples of abuse in a Sentence

He subjected his wife to physical and emotional abuse.
the buying of votes and other election abuses
She was subjected to every term of abuse her boss could think of.
a torrent of verbal abuse
The prisoner hurled abuse at the judge.

Recent Examples of abuse from the Web

Ten staffers were arrested on felony cruelty counts, more than 35 workers were fired and 48 were identified as having some role in perpetuating the abuse at the 91-bed facility.

— josh kovner, courant.com, "Six Years After Insanity Acquittal, Killer Of Wesleyan Student Could Gain Greater Freedoms," 12 Apr. 2018
All three of the women named in the lawsuit formerly worked at the Grand Coney, which is where the alleged abuse took place.

— wzzm, Detroit Free Press, "3 waitresses sue west Mich. coney restaurant for sexual harassment," 12 Apr. 2018
Neither Crow nor the report gave details about the suspected abuse.

— justin madden, cleveland.com, "Second daycare failed to report suspicions of abuse of Aniya Day-Garrett, state report says," 11 Apr. 2018
David survived the life-altering abuse back in 1997, but would require constant care for the remainder of his life, which came to an end on March 6.

— chris harris, PEOPLE.com, "Man Who Survived Toddler Abuse 20 Years Ago Dies — Leading to Murder Charges Against Mom and Her Ex," 11 Apr. 2018
But themes emerge about the abuse of power, in mostly personal but also political, situations.

— dan deluca, Philly.com, "Philly's Hop Along just released one of the most-anticipated albums of the year," 6 Apr. 2018
The suggestion that Administrator Pruitt directs the abuse of emergency lights is ridiculous.

— chuck todd, NBC News, "Trump ramps it up in yet another wild day of claims and controversy," 6 Apr. 2018
But Garay hadn't known how many signs the school had about the abuse until the Tribune contacted her with the results of the state's teacher licensing investigation.

— bethany barnes, OregonLive.com, "St. Mary's graduate comes forward with story of teacher's abuse," 6 Apr. 2018
Even though, yes, your relationship is unhealthy and also qualifies as emotionally abusive, the abuse almost feels like a puzzle to solve.

— heather havrilesky, The Cut, "‘Should I Leave My Amazing But Incredibly Frustrating Relationship?’," 3 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abuse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of abuse

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin abūsus "misuse, waste," noun derivative from abūtī "to exhaust, use up, misuse," from ab- ab- + ūtī "to ²use"

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First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

abuse Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of abuse

abuse, vituperation, invective, obloquy, billingsgate mean vehemently expressed condemnation or disapproval. abuse, the most general term, usually implies the anger of the speaker and stresses the harshness of the language.

- scathing verbal abuse

vituperation implies fluent and sustained abuse.

- a torrent of vituperation

invective implies a comparable vehemence but suggests greater verbal and rhetorical skill and may apply to a public denunciation.

- blistering political invective

obloquy suggests defamation and consequent shame and disgrace.

- subjected to obloquy and derision

billingsgate implies practiced fluency and variety of profane or obscene abuse.

- directed a stream of billingsgate at the cabdriver

abuse

verb \ ə-ˈbyüz \

Definition of abuse

abused; abusing

transitive verb

1 a : to put to a wrong or improper use

abuse a privilege

b : to use excessively

abuse alcohol

; also : to use without medical justification

abusing painkillers

2 : to use or treat so as to injure or damage : maltreat

abused his wife

3 : to attack in words : revile

verbally abused the referee

4 obsolete : deceive

—

abusable

play \-ˈbyü-zə-bəl\ adjective

—

abuser

noun

See abuse defined for English-language learners

See abuse defined for kids

Examples of abuse in a Sentence

He was accused of sexually abusing a child.
He abused his body with years of heavy drinking.
He had abused his first car by not taking care of it.
She abused her friend's trust.
a senator who abuses his power
He abused my confidence by letting this secret be known.

Recent Examples of abuse from the Web

And, by letting Joe Arpaio off the hook, Trump has already signaled his readiness to abuse his pardon powers.

— eric levitz, Daily Intelligencer, "Will Michael Cohen Snitch on Trump?," 11 Apr. 2018
Such laws, along with union rules, helped standardize work requirements, which made jobs more interchangeable and thereby allowed workers to more easily quit a workplace if the employer abused its power.

— suresh naidu, eric posner, Vox, "More and more companies have monopoly power over workers’ wages. That’s killing the economy.," 6 Apr. 2018
And on April 6th Ms Park is expected to be sentenced to many years in jail for taking bribes and abusing her power.

— The Economist, "Cases against two ex-presidents of South Korea fits an alarming pattern," 5 Apr. 2018
As long as men in power can continue to abuse their power without consequences, this problem will not be fixed.

— CBS News, "Iowa Senate leader Bill Dix resigns after video shows him kissing lobbyist," 12 Mar. 2018
That court case, which took place last June, alleged that Mamic abused his power at the former Croatian champions alongside three other individuals over financial embezzlement.

— SI.com, "Luka Modric Facing Jail Time as Croatian Courts Hit Real Madrid Ace With False Testimony Charge," 2 Mar. 2018
Without it, these bad cops would get away with abusing their power and this dude would have a record.

— joseph a. gambardello, Philly.com, "3 Camden police officers removed from duty over alleged assault caught on video," 27 Feb. 2018
That authorization has led to howls of protests from unions, which say Maduro is abusing his power.

— chris morris, Fortune, "Venezuelan President Asks Banks to Mine the National Cryptocurrency. Unions are Aghast.," 23 Feb. 2018
Liberals roll their eyes at the claim that President Obama violated democratic norms or abused his power.

— jonah goldberg, National Review, "Why the ‘Cult of Trump’ Has Taken Hold," 7 Feb. 2018

Origin and Etymology of abuse

Middle English abusen, borrowed from Anglo-French abuser, verbal derivative of abuse ¹abuse

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First Known Use: 15th century

See Words from the same year

abuse Synonyms

Synonyms

assail, attack, bash, belabor, blast, castigate, excoriate, jump (on), lambaste (or lambast), potshot, savage, scathe, slam, vituperate;

Near Antonyms

acclaim, commend, compliment, hail, laud, praise;

blaspheme, curse, execrate, imprecate, profane;

affront, insult, slur;

asperse, bad-mouth, belittle, blackguard, disparage, put down;

libel, slander, traduce, vilify;

chastise, chide, criticize, lace (into), rebuke, reprimand, reproof;

fulminate, lash (out);

Phrases

beat up on, light into, sail into, tie into;

ABUSE Defined for Kids

abuse

noun \ ə-ˈbyüs \

Definition of abuse for Students

1 : wrong or unfair treatment or use

abuse of power

2 : the act or practice of improperly using or of using in harmful amounts

drug abuse

3 : harmful treatment of a person or an animal

4 : harsh insulting language

“Never a kind word for old Templeton, only abuse and wisecracks …”
—E. B. White, Charlotte's Web

5 : a dishonest practice

election abuses

abuse

verb \ ə-ˈbyüz \

Definition of abuse for Students

abused; abusing

1 : to treat in a cruel or harmful way

abuse an animal

2 : to use wrongly : misuse

abuse privileges

3 : to use improperly or in harmful amounts

abuse drugs

4 : to blame or scold rudely

Word Root of abuse

The Latin word ūtī, meaning “to use,” “to possess,” or “to enjoy,” and its form ūsus give us the roots ut and us. Words from the Latin ūtī have something to do with use. To use is to possess and enjoy. To abuse is to use something incorrectly or unfairly. Anything usual is commonly used by many people. A utensil is a tool that is used for a particular purpose, especially for eating or cooking.

Medical Dictionary

abuse

noun \ ə-ˈbyüs \

medical Definition of abuse

1 : improper or excessive use or treatment

drug abuse

long-term abuse of tranquilizers

2 : physical maltreatment: as

a : the act of violating sexually : rape

b under some statutes : rape or indecent assault not amounting to rape

abuse

transitive verb \ ə-ˈbyüz \

medical Definition of abuse

abused; abusing

1 : to use excessively

abuse alcohol

; also : to use without medical justification

abusing painkillers

2 : to treat so as to injure or damage

abuse a child

3 a : masturbate

b : to subject to abuse and especially to rape or indecent assault

—

abusable

play \-ˈbyü-zə-bəl\ adjective

—

abuser

noun

Law Dictionary

abuse

transitive verb \ ə-ˈbyüz \

legal Definition of abuse

abused; abusing

1 : to put to a use other than the one intended: as

a : to put to a bad or unfair use

abusing the powers of office

b : to put to improper or excessive use

abuse narcotics

2 a : to inflict physical or emotional mistreatment or injury on (as one's child) purposely or through negligence or neglect and often on a regular basis

b : to engage in sexual activity with (a child under an age specified by statute)

3 : to attack harshly with words

abuse a police officer

abuse a debtor

—

abuser

noun

abuse

noun \ ə-ˈbyüs \

legal Definition of abuse

1 : improper, unfair, or excessive use

abuse of authority

drug abuse

2 a : the infliction of physical or emotional injury; also : the crime of inflicting such injury — see also battered child syndrome, battered woman's syndrome — compare cruelty, neglect

b : sexual abuse

3 : a verbal attack (as on a police officer in the performance of his or her duty); also : the crime of making such an attack