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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abusing
And when markets fail, public institutions must act to prevent dominant players from abusing their power.
—
Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025
Langley says Axon is a monopolist abusing its market position to choke out competition.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
While walking the two men to a USBP vehicle, Wilkins, a bystander, began verbally abusing authorities, DHS said.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 30 Aug. 2025
The Johnson County sheriff who faces criminal charges of abusing his office repeatedly harassed his female subordinates and threatened his chief deputy to keep it quiet, according to an indictment obtained by the Star-Telegram.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
Aenlle-Rocha, who was born in Cuba, said immigrants, more than most, cherish America’s democracy, and reprimanded her for abusing democracy for her own gain.
—Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025
In a statement to PEOPLE, Richards’ divorce attorney Brett Berman denied the allegations and accused Phypers of abusing and harassing the actress.
—Stephanie Wenger, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Kenneth Poore, 43, of the Beech Grove community in Greene County, admitted to abusing the girl during a phone call with her conducted as part of an investigation by the Greene County sheriff's office, according to the release from Prosecuting Attorney Sonia Hagood.
—Rafael Escalera Montoto, Arkansas Online, 20 Aug. 2025
In addition, Optery suspends the availability of this feature for the first 30 days to head off the possibility of an unscrupulous customer abusing the feature and then going for the money-back guarantee.
—PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2025
Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 5 Sep. 2025
Langley says Axon is a monopolist abusing its market position to choke out competition.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
While walking the two men to a USBP vehicle, Wilkins, a bystander, began verbally abusing authorities, DHS said.
—Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 30 Aug. 2025
The Johnson County sheriff who faces criminal charges of abusing his office repeatedly harassed his female subordinates and threatened his chief deputy to keep it quiet, according to an indictment obtained by the Star-Telegram.
—Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2025
Aenlle-Rocha, who was born in Cuba, said immigrants, more than most, cherish America’s democracy, and reprimanded her for abusing democracy for her own gain.
—Michael Slaten, Oc Register, 22 Aug. 2025
In a statement to PEOPLE, Richards’ divorce attorney Brett Berman denied the allegations and accused Phypers of abusing and harassing the actress.
—Stephanie Wenger, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Kenneth Poore, 43, of the Beech Grove community in Greene County, admitted to abusing the girl during a phone call with her conducted as part of an investigation by the Greene County sheriff's office, according to the release from Prosecuting Attorney Sonia Hagood.
—Rafael Escalera Montoto, Arkansas Online, 20 Aug. 2025
In addition, Optery suspends the availability of this feature for the first 30 days to head off the possibility of an unscrupulous customer abusing the feature and then going for the money-back guarantee.
—PC Magazine, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusing
Verb
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Owen's best friend, Khloe Wilson, was suspected of sending the messages early in the investigation due to past tensions with Lauryn and bullying accusations.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
4 Sep. 2025
-
One year, two large females started bullying a much smaller male.—
Sophie Hartley,
IndyStar,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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While Qataris may now indeed question the value of their military cooperation with the United States and its designation of Qatar as a major non-NATO ally, Turkey’s military presence in the country also failed to prevent Israel from attacking.—
Paul Iddon,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
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Show Viz Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest had counter-attacking licked.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Leaders from Jackson Hospital and Baptist Health Systems, who were present at the dental clinic’s opening day, said community clinics like UHI help keep people from misusing the Emergency Departments at hospitals — which can run patients a bill of $800 a night.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
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Campbell, head of Axim Fringe Solutions Group, was suspected of misusing client funds intended for health insurance and retirement benefits.—
Corina Vanek,
AZCentral.com,
17 Aug. 2025
Verb
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For society, all sorts of complex questions arise if the basic science affirms the conditions necessary for exploiting the water.—
Rodrique Ngowi,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
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Roblox’s child safety policies have long faced criticism, and a Bloomberg investigation in 2024 found that police in the United States had arrested at least two dozen users accused of exploiting minors since 2018.—
Conor Murray,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Jamie Simpson of Covington was sentenced in March to 60 years in prison for holding his wife captive and torturing her for hours before barricading himself inside her home in a lengthy standoff with police.—
Quinlan Bentley,
The Enquirer,
3 Sep. 2025
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Emmett was just 14 when he was kidnapped from his great-uncle’s house by two White men who later admitted to beating and torturing the teen before shooting him in the head and throwing his body into the Tallahatchie River, weighed down by a 75-pound cotton gin fan.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Video evidence showed a trooper punching the man and slamming him to the ground during a 2021 incident.—
Tresa Baldas,
Freep.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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In the disturbing footage, Raja was seen entering the ring and picking up Smith above his head before slamming him hard on the mat.—
Natasha Dye,
People.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Russian media reports suggested that Putin stopped using the residence from 2024 amid intensifying Ukrainian drone attacks.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
9 Sep. 2025
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In her latest Jo + Tiny Mic series on Instagram, the Texas native shared four of her favorite secrets to instantly elevate a room, and the principles can be perfectly applied to your fall home decor using Gaines’ very own Magnolia collection at Target.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Rice was unavailable for Friday’s game, serving the first game of his six-game league suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
6 Sep. 2025
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Bubba is named in the suit, accused of helping to develop the film using Hulk’s trademarks without permission, and of violating a settlement agreement.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusing. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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