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
Ticketmaster is trying to address the lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission with several moves intended to block scalpers from abusing the platform.
—
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2025
In March, Virginia Giuffre accused her husband of abusing her and her family later told several media outlets that the couple were engaged in a custody battle.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
He was reported for verbally abusing employees, said Michael Payne, table games chairman for the gaming division.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
He was hit with a massive $50,000 fine for verbally abusing officials back in 2023, and he was slapped with a $14,000 fine for a violent gesture during a game against the Buffalo Bills last season.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
A day care employee was caught on camera physically abusing an 11-year-old child with disabilities, including by putting hand sanitizer on open wounds on the child’s arms, authorities said.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2025
These shameless politicians are abusing their power to take away yours.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2025
General view of the Google headquarters in King’s Cross as the tech giant faces a 5 billion pound lawsuit in the UK for allegedly abusing its online search dominance.
—April Roach,tasmin Lockwood, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
While the record doesn't detail the events of Max's arrest, TMZ reported that the actor was allegedly abusing nitrous oxide before allegedly attacking his mother while livestreaming.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 21 Oct. 2025
In March, Virginia Giuffre accused her husband of abusing her and her family later told several media outlets that the couple were engaged in a custody battle.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 20 Oct. 2025
He was reported for verbally abusing employees, said Michael Payne, table games chairman for the gaming division.
—Noelle Phillips, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
He was hit with a massive $50,000 fine for verbally abusing officials back in 2023, and he was slapped with a $14,000 fine for a violent gesture during a game against the Buffalo Bills last season.
—Michael Gallagher, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
A day care employee was caught on camera physically abusing an 11-year-old child with disabilities, including by putting hand sanitizer on open wounds on the child’s arms, authorities said.
—Julia Marnin, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2025
These shameless politicians are abusing their power to take away yours.
—Brittany Shepherd, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2025
General view of the Google headquarters in King’s Cross as the tech giant faces a 5 billion pound lawsuit in the UK for allegedly abusing its online search dominance.
—April Roach,tasmin Lockwood, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
While the record doesn't detail the events of Max's arrest, TMZ reported that the actor was allegedly abusing nitrous oxide before allegedly attacking his mother while livestreaming.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusing
Verb
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He was wrapped up in a high-profile bullying scandal during the 2013 season.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
22 Oct. 2025
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Wembanyama added weight and has been bullying defenders in the paint during the preseason while shooting fewer treys.—
Stan Son,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The role of the double pivot is to protect the centre-backs and provide the defensive foundation when the team is attacking.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
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The Real Housewives of New York City star was arrested in December 2017 after reportedly attacking a police officer in Palm Beach, Florida — nearly one year after she wed now-ex Tom D'Agostino.—
Diane J. Cho,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In the 2000s, Andrew was repeatedly accused of misusing his position as a British trade envoy for his personal advantage.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
25 Oct. 2025
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Pro-housing groups saw CEQA as a tool development opponents were using to delay or kill projects and that construction unions were misusing to compel developers to employ their members.—
Dan Walters,
Oc Register,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The narrative of the obscenely rich exploiting every link in the chain to amass more wealth — at the expense of shareholders, government banks and the people of India — was the old story.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
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Yet even these entities will adapt, either by exploiting visa loopholes, relying more heavily on student-to-H-1B conversions, or shifting toward the L-1 visa category, which remains unaffected by the new fee.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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In another film with a less happy outcome, the woman who claims to be the amnesiac’s wife is an impostor who ends up torturing him.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Oct. 2025
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Additionally, before season one aired, Page Six reported Zakkour was allegedly at the scene of the arrest of crypto investor John Woeltz, who has been charged with kidnapping and torturing a man alongside William Duplessie, per AP News.—
McKinley Franklin,
HollywoodReporter,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Back in 1961, residents of Capitola woke up to find that hordes of black seabirds were slamming into cars, windows and people's homes and dying.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
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Ford said earlier that his province was spending $75 million to run ads in the United States slamming the impact of tariffs and featuring clips of Reagan.—
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Commercial company HawkEye 360 collects and processes radio frequency data from its constellation of satellites using advanced algorithms.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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The share of customers using delivery specifically, as opposed to picking up takeout or going to a drive-through, more than doubled from 2019 to 2024.—
Ellen Cushing,
The Atlantic,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Court records state that on June 4, 2024, X suspended Plummer’s original account for violating its rules against violent speech.—
Wren Smetana,
AZCentral.com,
25 Oct. 2025
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Brodie, whowas found guilty of violating American sanctions on Cuba in the early 2000s, was denied pardon by former President Joe Biden in 2023.—
Melanie Hicken,
CNN Money,
24 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusing. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
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