ABUSING Synonyms: 140 Similar and Opposite Words

abusing

verb

Definition of abusing next

present participle of abuse

as in bullying

to inflict physical or emotional harm upon if you abuse your pet, he will always have an ugly disposition

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in attacking

to criticize harshly and usually publicly a demanding, difficult patient who constantly abuses the nurses and aides

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in misusing

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

as in exploiting

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. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of abusing Any crackdown should protect that access while still going after the bad actors abusing the system. —

Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 May 2026 Authorities accused her of abusing and neglecting Noel. —

Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 16 May 2026 About six months before the crash, Dom’s mother, Christine, remembered the pair having tension in the relationship, which led to Mackenzie allegedly physically abusing Dom. —

Jake King-Schreifels, Time, 15 May 2026 Days before it was scheduled to begin, the jury trial of a North Texas sheriff accused of abusing his office and retaliating against witnesses was rescheduled, according to court records. —

Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 May 2026 The potential impacts of abusing nitrous oxide cannot be overemphasized. —

Katia Hetter, CNN Money, 15 May 2026 Disneyland will kick out any visitor suspected of abusing the park’s pin trading guidelines, according to the flyer. —

Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 14 May 2026 Cagliari player Alberto Dossena has denied racially abusing Keinan Davis of Udinese during the latter stages of a match in Italy’s Serie A over the weekend. —

Phil Hay, New York Times, 11 May 2026 Gardner stands accused of abusing at least five young gymnasts at Chow's in separate lawsuits. —

Jake Rosenwasser, CBS News, 11 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusing

Verb

Police say another mother, identified in the affidavit as Jada Hayes, remained in the parking lot after the meeting to speak with Dunmars about allegations that Dunmars’ child was bullying her own child.

— Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 16 May 2026
Among her efforts at LJES was working with then-principal Stephanie Hasselbrink on ways to reduce conflict and bullying among students.

— Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 May 2026