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 Variety and Puck, the film was originally set to dramatize Jackson being accused of abusing 13‑year‑old Jordan Chandler in 1993.
—
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 14 June 2026
The lawsuit, filed in December, claims that the Litchfield Middle School failed to act on a complaint from the 1980s that Driscoll was allegedly abusing students before Fitterer and Bird were middle school students in the 1990s.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2026
Articles of impeachment were brought against him on two counts, for allegedly abusing his power through his dealings with Zelenskyy and then allegedly obstructing the House’s investigation into the matter.
—Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
In 2025, two Centennial nursing home staffers were arrested and charged with criminal negligence, complicity, and abusing an at-risk adult after allegedly covering up details about how a 92-year-old woman with dementia in their care suffered a broken leg.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 9 June 2026
In 2023, Patea accused Alexander of physically abusing her, The Athletic reported.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026
Napper experienced significant trauma as a child, having witnessed his father abusing his mother, Pauline Lasham.
—Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026
Tom accuses me of physically abusing Nick Bilton.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 7 June 2026
Lots of presidents have deported migrants who are here unlawfully, but Trump has made a show of sending some to a foreign prison notorious for abusing inmates.
—Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
Brendan Morrow, USA Today, 14 June 2026
The lawsuit, filed in December, claims that the Litchfield Middle School failed to act on a complaint from the 1980s that Driscoll was allegedly abusing students before Fitterer and Bird were middle school students in the 1990s.
—Lori Riley, Hartford Courant, 14 June 2026
Articles of impeachment were brought against him on two counts, for allegedly abusing his power through his dealings with Zelenskyy and then allegedly obstructing the House’s investigation into the matter.
—Alison Durkee, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026
In 2025, two Centennial nursing home staffers were arrested and charged with criminal negligence, complicity, and abusing an at-risk adult after allegedly covering up details about how a 92-year-old woman with dementia in their care suffered a broken leg.
—Sponsored Content, Denver Post, 9 June 2026
In 2023, Patea accused Alexander of physically abusing her, The Athletic reported.
—Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 8 June 2026
Napper experienced significant trauma as a child, having witnessed his father abusing his mother, Pauline Lasham.
—Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 8 June 2026
Tom accuses me of physically abusing Nick Bilton.
—Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 7 June 2026
Lots of presidents have deported migrants who are here unlawfully, but Trump has made a show of sending some to a foreign prison notorious for abusing inmates.
—Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic, 6 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusing
Verb
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Last November, ahead of the final season of Stranger Things airing, the Daily Mail reported that Brown had filed a harassment and bullying claim against Harbour before filming began.—
Jason P. Frank,
Vulture,
10 June 2026
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Last year, the Daily Mail reported Brown allegedly filed harassment and bullying claims against Harbour with producers of the show prior to shooting the final season.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
10 June 2026
Verb
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Just attacking everything with strikes.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
11 June 2026
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Police in the northwest Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights have released a sketch of a man accused of attacking and choking a woman this past weekend.—
Adam Harrington,
CBS News,
11 June 2026
Verb
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Talk with teens about the risks of misusing medications, including serious health effects and poisoning.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
12 June 2026
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Some city leaders had also dinged the county for misusing homelessness money generated from a previous sales tax and argued this new pot of dollars would be handled no better.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Verb
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One of the first allegations that Epstein was exploiting his associations with the modeling world appeared in a police report filed in 1997 in California.—
Curt Devine,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
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Dynamic pricing is simply an algorithm created to achieve that by exploiting market power.—
Stefan Szymanski,
Fortune,
12 June 2026
Verb
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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
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The Massachusetts Republican Party is slamming both Markey and Healey for backing Platner.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
10 June 2026
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Hugh Laurie has apologized to a writer after slamming her criticisms of House on social media.—
Kathleen Perricone,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 June 2026
Verb
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Tabbed nothing less than the golden generation, they were meant to grow a sport that long had roots but never could quite blossom, using the soil of their own country to do it.—
Dana O’Neil,
CNN Money,
13 June 2026
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Switch on headlights - Even during daylight hours, using headlights can enhance visibility and signal your presence to other drivers.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
13 June 2026
Verb
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Jiankui spent three years in prison and was fined three million yuan (about $430,000 at the time) for violating medical regulations.—
Laura Dattaro,
Scientific American,
10 June 2026
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The determination concludes a six-month investigation by the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division into Davis Med’s admissions practices, which found the school guilty of violating a landmark 2023 Supreme Court decision that banned affirmative action in university admissions.—
Sophia Mandt,
The Washington Examiner,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusing. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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