1
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
2
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
3
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
4
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
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Recent Examples of abusing
According to a Reddit post from the company and a spokesperson, the Spectrum emails are legit and are part of the FBI’s effort to crack down on Russian hackers abusing 23 TP-Link router models.
—
Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 30 Apr. 2026
He was accused of abusing boys, a charge that went unproven but sullied his reputation in Europe.
—Amanda Rosa
updated April 28, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
Authorities say Chasing Horse spent nearly 20 years abusing his position as a Lakota medicine man to take advantage of women and girls.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Employees say that members can get flagged for abusing the return policy—or even banned for life.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026
The White House declined to comment on the allegations against former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who stepped down last week after multiple allegations of abusing her position’s power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job.
—Ana Ceballos
follow, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Under the plan, FISA, which allows warrantless wiretapping of noncitizens, would be extended for three years, with new oversight guardrails and penalties for abusing the spy tool.
—Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 26 Apr. 2026
Taj Jackson has been a vocal defender of his uncle’s legacy and previously spoke out about the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, which centered on two individuals who had accused Michael Jackson of abusing them as children.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
The alleged final straw for Barisone was when Kanarek allegedly reported him to the Division of Child Protection and Permanency and accused him of abusing his fiancée's children, per claims made by his lawyer Jeffery Simms.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
Michael Kan, PC Magazine, 30 Apr. 2026
He was accused of abusing boys, a charge that went unproven but sullied his reputation in Europe.
—Amanda Rosa
updated April 28, Miami Herald, 28 Apr. 2026
Authorities say Chasing Horse spent nearly 20 years abusing his position as a Lakota medicine man to take advantage of women and girls.
—Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 28 Apr. 2026
Employees say that members can get flagged for abusing the return policy—or even banned for life.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 27 Apr. 2026
The White House declined to comment on the allegations against former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who stepped down last week after multiple allegations of abusing her position’s power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job.
—Ana Ceballos
follow, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Under the plan, FISA, which allows warrantless wiretapping of noncitizens, would be extended for three years, with new oversight guardrails and penalties for abusing the spy tool.
—Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 26 Apr. 2026
Taj Jackson has been a vocal defender of his uncle’s legacy and previously spoke out about the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, which centered on two individuals who had accused Michael Jackson of abusing them as children.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
The alleged final straw for Barisone was when Kanarek allegedly reported him to the Division of Child Protection and Permanency and accused him of abusing his fiancée's children, per claims made by his lawyer Jeffery Simms.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusing
Verb
-
Jenner was not personally accused of bullying behavior in the filing brought by Vasquez.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
1 May 2026
-
The report examined how job strain, effort-reward imbalance, job insecurity, long working hours, and workplace bullying contribute to cardiovascular disease and mental disorders.—
Catherina Gioino,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Fitz also has some stiff competition in the attacking midfield.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
-
Trump and his allies are attacking democracy itself, from the rights to protest and exist freely to the rights to fair jobs and livable wages.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
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Wai was convicted of misusing his Border Force job to search the interior ministry’s computer database and gain access to details of foreign nationals.—
Reuters,
CNN Money,
8 May 2026
-
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police charged him with misusing 911.—
Ryan Oehrli
May 7,
Charlotte Observer,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
Alexander Isak’s ability to stretch the pitch could give an under-strength Manchester United back line a problem, while Florian Wirtz is capable of exploiting space in between the lines.—
Graham Ruthven,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
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The human cost of finding and exploiting bugs may approach zero, but fixing them won’t.—
Evan Johnson,
IEEE Spectrum,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Barahona has been behind bars since March 2011 after being accused of killing of 10-year-old Nubia Barahona and torturing her twin brother Victor.—
Grethel Aguila,
Sun Sentinel,
6 May 2026
-
The coastal Georgia man arrested in 2018 and accused of torturing, killing and burying his two teenage children in the backyard of the family’s mobile home will spend the rest of his life behind bars after reaching a plea deal.—
Adam Van Brimmer,
AJC.com,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The world’s second largest economy has been relatively insulated from the historic global oil crisis slamming its neighbors – including key regional US allies – due to China’s huge oil reserves, its high level of energy self-sufficiency and its early shift to green energy.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
6 May 2026
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Stewart’s critics have been slamming her, saying there was a pattern of favoritism at city hall during her 12-year tenure.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Install it too low, and your knees will be in your face when using the commode.—
Tim Carter,
Hartford Courant,
9 May 2026
-
But in 2003, it was considered too degraded to be capable of producing a match using methods available at the time.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
Verb
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The Appeal-Democrat newspaper reported in a police blotter article last summer that Daniels was arrested on July 11 on suspicion of drug possession and violating parole, and he was booked then at the Yuba County Jail.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
6 May 2026
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He was twice arrested for protesting on OpenAI’s San Francisco campus, and arrested again in 2025 for violating a judge’s order not to return.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusing. Accessed 10 May. 2026.
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