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
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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
Last year, Cindy Clemishire, 55, accused Morris of abusing her at the age of 12.
—
Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Cardi responded in kind, speculating whether or not Minaj was abusing substances, and insinuating that Minaj’s substance use has affected her children’s health.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
In June 2024, three people were sentenced to eight months in prison after being found guilty of racially abusing Vinicius Jr in that May 2023 match at Valencia.
—Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Miller was accused of abusing three infants in her care at The Lawrence School in 2021 and 2022.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 26 Sep. 2025
The Department of Labor is also opening investigations into companies the agency says are abusing the system.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Instead of sending generic or suspicious-looking emails, attackers are now abusing Apple's iCloud Calendar invite system to deliver phishing content directly from Apple's own email servers.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Epstein was accused of abusing several girls and women over multiple decades beginning in the 1980s.
—Hannah Pinski, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Sep. 2025
Prosecutors said O'Steen had a history of abusing Grimes.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Cardi responded in kind, speculating whether or not Minaj was abusing substances, and insinuating that Minaj’s substance use has affected her children’s health.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 1 Oct. 2025
In June 2024, three people were sentenced to eight months in prison after being found guilty of racially abusing Vinicius Jr in that May 2023 match at Valencia.
—Guillermo Rai, New York Times, 30 Sep. 2025
Miller was accused of abusing three infants in her care at The Lawrence School in 2021 and 2022.
—Jim Riccioli, jsonline.com, 26 Sep. 2025
The Department of Labor is also opening investigations into companies the agency says are abusing the system.
—Syra Ortiz Blanes, Miami Herald, 26 Sep. 2025
Instead of sending generic or suspicious-looking emails, attackers are now abusing Apple's iCloud Calendar invite system to deliver phishing content directly from Apple's own email servers.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 26 Sep. 2025
Epstein was accused of abusing several girls and women over multiple decades beginning in the 1980s.
—Hannah Pinski, Louisville Courier Journal, 25 Sep. 2025
Prosecutors said O'Steen had a history of abusing Grimes.
—Christine Pelisek, PEOPLE, 23 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusing
Verb
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Now he's accused the Indianapolis Democrat of bullying and threatening him.—
Kayla Dwyer,
IndyStar,
3 Oct. 2025
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Myran offered a history of bullying as an example.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Advertisement The arguments against conversion therapy aren’t about attacking religion or silencing free speech.—
Timothy Schraeder Rodriguez,
Time,
8 Oct. 2025
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Sherrill has pinned the blame on the Republican candidate’s campaign, going so far as to run an ad attacking Ciattarelli over the issue.—
Caroline Vakil,
The Hill,
8 Oct. 2025
Verb
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That low percentage suggests that detention center staff are misusing strip searches, said Dana Flores, senior manager for youth justice in Colorado at the National Center for Youth Law.—
Shelly Bradbury,
Denver Post,
30 Sep. 2025
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And more than 300 others have been accused of selling or misusing their benefits since January 2024, according to records obtained by Kentucky Public Radio.—
Orianna Rosa Royle,
Fortune,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Rather, Hamas' widespread and well-documented strategy of exploiting schools and educational facilities for terror activities, has required IDF activity in those areas.—
Victoria Beaule,
ABC News,
7 Oct. 2025
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At the same time, people familiar with the investigation told me that Khan has devoted much of his defense to convincing investigators that Israel and its allies are exploiting the accuser in order to damage him and the court.—
David D. Kirkpatrick,
New Yorker,
5 Oct. 2025
Verb
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More than 3,000 Hamas fighters gunned down civilians, torturing and mutilating some of them in their own homes, still in their pajamas.—
Romina Ruiz-Goiriena,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
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The trailer presents the Jimmies as a downright terrifying clan, showing them violating and torturing other survivors.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kirk followed Guerrero the next inning, slamming the first of his two homers over the outfield wall.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
5 Oct. 2025
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Nonprofit watchdog group Human Rights Watch and fellow comedians like David Cross and Marc Maron, however, are saying otherwise, accusing the festival of deflecting from the country's human rights violations and slamming their peers for their involvement.—
Jessica Wang,
Entertainment Weekly,
30 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Double-big lineup shaky early on A major part of the intrigue surrounding Şengün’s potential development this season is Houston’s affinity for using him in double-big lineups next to Steven Adams or Capela.—
William Guillory,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
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This will only work on accounts using an email included in the initial 2021 data breach.—
James Peckham,
PC Magazine,
6 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the remarks follow Russian drone incursions into Poland as well as Russian fighter jets violating Estonian airspace, forcing NATO to intercept them.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
4 Oct. 2025
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Board meetings were also being held in secret, violating state law.—
Lawrence Mower,
Miami Herald,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusing. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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