1
as in insult
harsh insulting language
hometown fans hurled abuse at the visiting team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in misuse
incorrect or improper use
naturally the furniture had received a lot of abuse from the 10 kids in the family
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to bully
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
if you abuse your pet, he will always have an ugly disposition
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
a demanding, difficult patient who constantly abuses the nurses and aides
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to misuse
to put to a bad or improper use
if you abuse your baseball bat by using it to hammer nails, don't expect it to last long
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to use
to take unfair advantage of
abused his parents' trust, pilfering small amounts from them that he hoped they wouldn't notice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of abuse
Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026
Pratt plans to enforce the laws against open drug use on the streets and get people the substance-abuse treatment that will give them their lives back.
—Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 30 May 2026
Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 31 May 2026
Dooley’s hardest hits on Collins centered on an ethics investigation into whether the congressman abused taxpayer funds by hiring the girlfriend of his former chief of staff for work that the woman allegedly did not perform.
—ABC News, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for abuse
Noun
The department said in the statement that Jacobs was booked into Brown County Jail on charges of domestic abuse battery, domestic abuse criminal damage to property, domestic abuse disorderly conduct, strangulation and suffocation, and intimidation of a victim.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026
Pratt plans to enforce the laws against open drug use on the streets and get people the substance-abuse treatment that will give them their lives back.
—Susan Shelley, Oc Register, 30 May 2026
Verb
The Brazilian had alleged Prestianni racially abused him, which Prestianni denied, when the Argentine’s jersey was pulled up over his mouth.
—Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 31 May 2026
Dooley’s hardest hits on Collins centered on an ethics investigation into whether the congressman abused taxpayer funds by hiring the girlfriend of his former chief of staff for work that the woman allegedly did not perform.
—ABC News, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for abuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abuse
Noun
-
An unusual insult in Grease came to be thanks to a flub on an actor's part.—
Marina Watts,
Entertainment Weekly,
2 June 2026
-
And, to add insult to Cardinals’ fans’ injury, with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning of that same game, Jordan Walker hit a ball nearly 100-mph into the gap in left-center.—
Dan Freedman,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
No service prevents every misuse of an older adult's identity.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
30 May 2026
-
Test continuously and flag problems like data leakage, tool misuse and resource abuse.—
Tom Kellermann,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
Pratt alleged that volunteers have been bullied, harassed, and have been trying to get Bass’s attention.—
Britta Miller,
The Washington Examiner,
30 May 2026
-
The student who was injured was subjected to other instances of bullying before the assault on May 7, according to the lawsuit filed by Mollie and Boston Mallory, the plaintiff’s attorneys.—
Emerson Clarridge,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The same man later attacked former Olympian Kim Glass in 2022, which prompted Lee to speak out.—
The Editorial Board,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
-
The officer who allegedly was attacked suffered minor injuries, Morton said.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
In the third, La Mirada used a single and two walks to load the bases with two outs but Escobar escaped when shortstop Angie Jimenez snagged a line drive.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
Norrased, who did most of the communication with the villagers in Thai, taught them how to correctly use the mouthpiece for the oxygen tanks.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
30 May 2026
Noun
-
Both players have been regular targets for fan criticism over their attitude this term.—
Guillermo Rai,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
But that market has faced growing criticism for its dependence on mass production and cultural appropriation — and a portion of travelers are responding by spending their money differently.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
She was arrested at a hotel near the barn and booked at the Clark County Juvenile Hall on 12 counts of animal cruelty, including intentionally aiming or torturing a horse, as well as three counts of malicious destruction of property.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
1 June 2026
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She was later transported to the Clark County Juvenile Hall and charged with 12 counts of willful or malicious killing, maiming or torturing an animal and three counts of felony malicious destruction of private property valued at more than $5,000, police said.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Williams belted a walk-off moonshot for a 5-4 win, and Canady slammed the door shut for a 2-0 clincher.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
-
The teenager received a standing ovation before Cowell slammed his Golden Buzzer.—
Deirdre Durkan,
PEOPLE,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abuse. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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