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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of abuses
Leah Litman,
The Atlantic,
26 June 2026
Many of these countries are well known for horrific human rights abuses, lack of justice and abysmal detention conditions.
—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
26 June 2026
The lawsuit, brought by a group of NGOs and the city of Paris, argues the French corporation is violating a 2017 law that requires companies to prevent human rights abuses and environmental risks.
—
ABC News,
25 June 2026
But his decade in power was also marked by authoritarian rule, corruption and grave human rights abuses.
—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
This interregnum could be rife with abuses.
—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
24 June 2026
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.
—
Jeremy Kohler,
ProPublica,
24 June 2026
That safeguard was meant to guard against potential abuses of power, said Meza, the former commission chair.
—
Los Angeles City Hall,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
Both state and church are also known for failing to live up to those ideals, for permitting indefensible abuses, for ugly histories.
—
Joe Mathews,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
People deserve a government that watches out for our people’s best interests, not one that abuses its powers and sells us to the highest bidder.
—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
According to Lewkowitz, if a grower abuses the soil, the system ceases to be viable, leaving zero likelihood of success from a sustainability standpoint.
—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
27 Apr. 2026
Under my watch, anyone who abuses wildlife in Florida will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Its leader, the president, abuses power, hurts the innocent, and mocks the dead before their families have even begun to grieve.
—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
During the tantrum, the child verbally abuses the parent and also destroys property within the home.
—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
15 Mar. 2026
The insurer said during a Senate committee hearing that Nutex abuses the independent dispute resolution process, which was intended by the federal No Surprises Act to be a last resort in cases where providers and health insurers can’t agree on what should be paid for out-of-network care.
—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Malware often abuses them to take control of your device.
—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Noun
The Court’s decision will bar suits by victims of any human-rights abuses, because human-rights protections became part of international law in the 20th century.
—
Leah Litman,
The Atlantic,
26 June 2026
Many of these countries are well known for horrific human rights abuses, lack of justice and abysmal detention conditions.
—
Elizabeth Shackelford,
Chicago Tribune,
26 June 2026
The lawsuit, brought by a group of NGOs and the city of Paris, argues the French corporation is violating a 2017 law that requires companies to prevent human rights abuses and environmental risks.
—
ABC News,
25 June 2026
But his decade in power was also marked by authoritarian rule, corruption and grave human rights abuses.
—
Antonio María Delgado,
Miami Herald,
24 June 2026
This interregnum could be rife with abuses.
—
Mohammed Sergie,
semafor.com,
24 June 2026
ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power.
—
Jeremy Kohler,
ProPublica,
24 June 2026
That safeguard was meant to guard against potential abuses of power, said Meza, the former commission chair.
—
Los Angeles City Hall,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
Both state and church are also known for failing to live up to those ideals, for permitting indefensible abuses, for ugly histories.
—
Joe Mathews,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Verb
New York City’s child welfare agency routinely abuses its emergency power to take children from their parents without a court order, creating lifelong consequences for families, a new class-action lawsuit seeking to end the practice alleged Thursday.
—
Cayla Bamberger,
New York Daily News,
28 May 2026
People deserve a government that watches out for our people’s best interests, not one that abuses its powers and sells us to the highest bidder.
—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
According to Lewkowitz, if a grower abuses the soil, the system ceases to be viable, leaving zero likelihood of success from a sustainability standpoint.
—
Arthur Zaczkiewicz,
Footwear News,
27 Apr. 2026
Under my watch, anyone who abuses wildlife in Florida will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Its leader, the president, abuses power, hurts the innocent, and mocks the dead before their families have even begun to grieve.
—
Peter Wehner,
The Atlantic,
23 Mar. 2026
During the tantrum, the child verbally abuses the parent and also destroys property within the home.
—
Sherri Gordon,
Parents,
15 Mar. 2026
The insurer said during a Senate committee hearing that Nutex abuses the independent dispute resolution process, which was intended by the federal No Surprises Act to be a last resort in cases where providers and health insurers can’t agree on what should be paid for out-of-network care.
—
Angela Palermo,
Idaho Statesman,
5 Mar. 2026
Malware often abuses them to take control of your device.
—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abuses
Noun
-
In recent weeks, Avila Chevalier has been under a microscope for her past tweets, including posts calling for defunding the police and abolishing the border, alongside harsh insults of big-name Democrats such as former Vice President Kamala Harris.
-
Michael Lind, the writer and New America co-founder, argues in Commonplace, the magazine of Oren Cass’s American Compass, that a decent wage and a safety net should be enough, and that handing workers a stake in capital insults the dignity of their labor.
Noun
-
The decision to hire the Crumbie Law Group to investigate the potential misuses involving city credit cards and other resources was approved by the Board of Aldermen during a special meeting on Wednesday.
-
The Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act (TRAIGA) prohibits specific intentional misuses and establishes a 36-month regulatory sandbox.
Verb
-
Williams called Valkyries fans bullies in an Instagram Live stream earlier this week, and by Friday night, Chase Center had the receipts.
-
The Pledge is meaningless if the president of the United States lies to us, divides us, bullies us and steals from us.
Verb
-
Chevalier, who’s running with the vocal support of Mayor Mamdani, attacks Espaillat as being too moderate and a supporter of Israel.
-
But what if Iran’s proxy Hezbollah attacks Israel?
Verb
-
This configuration exploits the boundary layer of air flowing over the airframe to increase efficiency.
-
The hackers used a common tactic known as credential stuffing to access the data, which exploits weak and reused passwords.
Noun
-
That, of course, was shown at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, where the Jabulani grabbed headlines for its erratic and unpredictable movement — so much so that there’s a Wikipedia page dedicated to its criticisms.
-
Former school board member Melissa Easley echoed many of those criticisms in a lengthy Facebook post Wednesday.
Verb
-
The retrospection tortures her.
-
Later, in one of the movie's most satisfying scenes, Millie locks Andrew in the attic and tortures him by loudly smashing each plate.
Verb
-
His hand fans out into a wave, then the door slams shut.
-
Granit Xhaka slams it into the right corner of the net.
Cite this Entry
“Abuses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abuses. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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