misuse

1 of 2

verb

mis·​use ˌmis-ˈyüz 

misused; misusing; misuses

transitive verb

1

: to use incorrectly : misapply

misused his talents

a word that is frequently misused

was charged with misusing company funds

2

: abuse, mistreat

… their prisoner had the heavy task of receiving their insolence as wit, answering their insults with good-humour, and withholding from them the opportunity which they sought of engaging him in a quarrel, that they might have a pretence for misusing him.

—Sir Walter Scott

misuser noun

plural misusers

misuse

2 of 2

noun

mis·​use ˌmis-ˈyüs 

: incorrect or improper use : misapplication

the misuse of words

a misuse of power

Synonyms of misuse

Verb

• abuse

Noun

• abuse

Examples of misuse in a Sentence

Verb

She's charged with misusing company funds.

a word that is frequently misused

Noun

No refunds will be offered on products damaged by misuse.

the warranty for this dryer is null and void if you subject the product to deliberate misuse

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

An identity theft protection service can monitor for signs that criminals are misusing your information and alert you to suspicious activity. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 11 Nov. 2026

Matolcsy was one of Orbán’s closest economic allies, and is suspected of misusing funds through a foundation set up in 2014 that was endowed with some $818 million in public assets. — Justin Spike, Los Angeles Times, 10 Nov. 2026

Noun

Holding Hegseth to account for his crimes and misuse of our armed forces is a great place to start. — Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 13 Nov. 2026

Risks of mass surveillance Mass surveillance carries the inherent risk of the state collecting extensive information on its entire population, or on large segments of it, which creates significant potential for misuse. — Tk Vinod Kumar, The Conversation, 13 Nov. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, partly from mis- + usen to use; partly from Middle French mesuser to abuse, from Old French, from mes- + user to use

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for misuse

• accrues
• accuse
• aircrews
• amuse
• bamboos
• breakthroughs
• canoes
• cashews
• chartreuse
• confuse
• construes
• defuse

Kids Definition

misuse

1 of 2 verb

mis·​use mish-ˈüz 

(ˈ)mish-ˈyüz, 

(ˈ)mis-ˈyüz

1

: to use incorrectly : misapply

2

: abuse entry 1 sense 2, mistreat

misusage

-ˈ(y)ü-sij, 

-zij

noun

misuse

2 of 2 noun

mis·​use mish-ˈüs 

(ˈ)mish-ˈyüs, 

(ˈ)mis-ˈyüs

: incorrect or improper use