1
as in insults
harsh insulting language
hometown fans hurled abuse at the visiting team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in misuses
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 bullies
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 attacks
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 perverts
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 exploits
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
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Recent Examples of abuses
Mica Rosenberg, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
The drug companies alleged that using contract pharmacies led to abuses, such as duplicate billings, product diversions, and ineligible rebates.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 10 Feb. 2026
California gave its financial watchdog agency the power to punish abuses.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 9 Feb. 2026
General amnesty law The government has denied that there are political prisoners in Venezuela, rejecting the accusations of torture and ill treatment and saying reports on human rights abuses behind bars are false and politically motivated.
—Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
The sobering reality, however, is that the legal challenges to the administration’s abuses have been necessary, but not sufficient to secure our freedoms.
—Chris Mattei, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2026
Their goal is to watch for abuses of power or unlawful stops and create a database with information about who is being detained.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
Protections for workers are eroding Nepal and Bangladesh are among several countries in Asia that rely heavily on remittances from migrant workers who are vulnerable to abuses despite decades of work aimed at protecting them.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
From 1939 to 1975, the Franco dictatorship placed Spain in the grip of repressive leadership that, among other abuses of power, exerted strict censorship over the country’s cinema.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 5 Feb. 2026
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Feb. 2026
As a child, Heathcliff’s main tormenter is Cathy’s brother, Hindley, who physically abuses Heathcliff and forces him to work in the stables as a servant.
—Becky Little, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
In the final video, Pierce can be seen shirtless, with bruises showing, while Ruffin verbally abuses him, Facklam said.
—Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
In the film, Victor emotionally abuses the Creature.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Anyone who abuses a position of power and jeopardizes our national security will be held accountable.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Bowles abuses those pass-blocking rules by stunting the three-technique, Logan Hall (90), across the left guard's face, knowing the guard will follow him.
—Derrik Klassen, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
But outside of the ring, Christy hides and represses her lesbianism and winds up marrying her trainer Jim Martin (Ben Foster), who manipulates and physically abuses her.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Noun
This story was originally published by ProPublica, a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.
—Mica Rosenberg, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
The drug companies alleged that using contract pharmacies led to abuses, such as duplicate billings, product diversions, and ineligible rebates.
—Ed Silverman, STAT, 10 Feb. 2026
California gave its financial watchdog agency the power to punish abuses.
—Scott Horsley, NPR, 9 Feb. 2026
General amnesty law The government has denied that there are political prisoners in Venezuela, rejecting the accusations of torture and ill treatment and saying reports on human rights abuses behind bars are false and politically motivated.
—Miami Herald, 7 Feb. 2026
The sobering reality, however, is that the legal challenges to the administration’s abuses have been necessary, but not sufficient to secure our freedoms.
—Chris Mattei, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2026
Their goal is to watch for abuses of power or unlawful stops and create a database with information about who is being detained.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
Protections for workers are eroding Nepal and Bangladesh are among several countries in Asia that rely heavily on remittances from migrant workers who are vulnerable to abuses despite decades of work aimed at protecting them.
—Elaine Kurtenbach, Los Angeles Times, 5 Feb. 2026
From 1939 to 1975, the Franco dictatorship placed Spain in the grip of repressive leadership that, among other abuses of power, exerted strict censorship over the country’s cinema.
—Jim Hemphill, IndieWire, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
Malware often abuses them to take control of your device.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Feb. 2026
As a child, Heathcliff’s main tormenter is Cathy’s brother, Hindley, who physically abuses Heathcliff and forces him to work in the stables as a servant.
—Becky Little, Time, 13 Feb. 2026
In the final video, Pierce can be seen shirtless, with bruises showing, while Ruffin verbally abuses him, Facklam said.
—Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 9 Feb. 2026
In the film, Victor emotionally abuses the Creature.
—Jazz Tangcay, Variety, 7 Nov. 2025
Anyone who abuses a position of power and jeopardizes our national security will be held accountable.
—Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Oct. 2025
Bowles abuses those pass-blocking rules by stunting the three-technique, Logan Hall (90), across the left guard's face, knowing the guard will follow him.
—Derrik Klassen, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025
But outside of the ring, Christy hides and represses her lesbianism and winds up marrying her trainer Jim Martin (Ben Foster), who manipulates and physically abuses her.
—Edward Segarra, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abuses
Noun
-
Employees at an El Dorado Hills fast food restaurant went on a one-day strike, after a manager reportedly flung insults and acted unprofessionally to Latino workers.—
Camila Pedrosa,
Sacbee.com,
17 Feb. 2026
-
When Lucy confesses to sleeping with Evan, Pippa’s insults for Lucy could rival even some of Stephen’s greatest hits.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Second, that the occasional misuses of that discretion would be few, far between, and manageable by the court system through robust testing and oversight.—
Paul Rosenzweig,
The Atlantic,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Collective action deters bullies Harvard never stood alone.—
Jeffrey Sonnenfeld,
Fortune,
1 Feb. 2026
-
There’s always a mean kid in your class who bullies everybody else.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
An autoimmune disease is a chronic condition in which part of your immune system mistakenly attacks part of your own body.—
Ruth Jessen Hickman,
Health,
10 Feb. 2026
-
After learning that Casper had been diagnosed with Guillain Barré Syndrome, a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks the nerves, Aidan Oldenburg, Ben Richardson and Luc Violette needed somebody with experience that could help them in the interim.—
Dane Mizutani,
Twin Cities,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
At the same time, the regime shamelessly exploits international sporting events to legitimize itself and whitewash its crimes.—
Benjamin Weinthal,
FOXNews.com,
7 Feb. 2026
-
For Abercrombie & Fitch, fraud often exploits early refund programs and customer service escalation, according to Rob Sondergaard, the apparel retailer’s senior director of returns, fraud and abuse.—
Peter Sadera,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In some ways it was set up to fail from the moment those infamous quotation marks around the title were revealed; an attempt by Fennell to get ahead of the very criticisms that have been published this week.—
Leah Dolan,
CNN Money,
12 Feb. 2026
-
Similar criticisms arose when the board made its last appointment — District 7 member Alex Arroyo, who in early 2025 replaced former board member Monica Silva after she was elected Kane County coroner.—
Molly Morrow,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The retrospection tortures her.—
Alexandra Rockey Fleming,
PEOPLE,
14 Jan. 2026
-
Later, in one of the movie's most satisfying scenes, Millie locks Andrew in the attic and tortures him by loudly smashing each plate.—
Lauren Huff,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Continue reading … POLITICS BAD CALL – Trump admin slams Dems’ ‘call 911 on ICE’ push as reckless, links policy to riots and violent arrests.—
,
FOXNews.com,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Winter storm slams the East While Arizona's system is mostly a light-rain and mountain-snow setup, a sprawling winter storm is creating far bigger problems across the eastern half of the country.—
Hayleigh Evans,
AZCentral.com,
23 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abuses. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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