maltreating

verb

present participle of maltreat
1
as in abusing
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon a manager fired for maltreating the staff with needless insults a home for children who have been deprived and maltreated

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in attacking
to abuse physically if you maltreat the puppy, we will take it away immediately

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maltreating
  1. abusing
  2. attacking
  3. torturing
  4. ambushing
  5. bullying
  6. manhandling
  7. mistreating
  8. mauling
Verb
  • But this marks the first time someone inside the White House has been investigated for allegedly abusing that access for prediction market profits.
    — Bobby Allyn, NPR, 16 July 2026
  • Pitt has been accused of allegedly abusing Jolie and their children.
    — Lauryn Overhultz, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2026
Definition of abusing
Verb
  • Before extra time, Argentina had managed 39 touches in the attacking third.
    — Thom Harris, New York Times, 20 July 2026
  • Hugging Face said that from its analysis, the AI agent attacking its systems seems to have acted entirely on its own, without any human initiating the attack or directing its progress.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 20 July 2026
Definition of attacking
Verb
  • Chilean prosecutors believe Ojeda died while his captors were torturing him to get information about the Venezuelan political opposition.
    — Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 10 July 2026
  • In addition to its prior ties to al-Qaeda, HTS has been accused by the UN and other organizations of human rights abuses against women and children, as well as torturing and executing detainees.
    — Connor Greene, Time, 8 July 2026
Definition of torturing
Verb
  • Prosecutors, meanwhile, have alleged that Mangione meticulously planned the killing for months, documenting his thoughts in journals and traveling across the country before ambushing Thompson in New York City.
    — Stepheny Price , Michael Ruiz , Maria Paronich, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026
  • Lit up by minor-leaguers ambushing first-pitch fastballs?
    — Levi Weaver, New York Times, 8 June 2026
Definition of ambushing
Verb
  • For a long time, our leading hypothesis was bullying and violence, but that may be a bit impractical, given their kingdoms are vast networks of tunnels that can stretch for up to three kilometers.
    — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 21 July 2026
  • This aggressive legal action is backfiring, as consumers perceive the large chain as bullying a smaller, beloved brand.
    — Roger Dooley, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of bullying
Verb
  • But this year’s edition could be the best one yet, and the Wolverines will get a chance to prove that next week in Indianapolis after manhandling Tennessee 95-62 yesterday at the United Center to clinch a spot in the Final Four.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 30 Mar. 2026
  • The Illini literally soaked in the celebration Thursday night after manhandling hometown favorite Houston to advance to the Elite 8 for the second time in three years.
    — Ryan Baker, CBS News, 28 Mar. 2026
Definition of manhandling
Verb
  • At the end, Morrison made the boy apologize to his classmates for mistreating them.
    — Jennifer Smith Richards, ProPublica, 15 July 2026
  • Collin — who has accused Kate of mistreating him during his childhood — responded to his mom on his Instagram Stories.
    — Brenton Blanchet, PEOPLE, 15 July 2026
Definition of mistreating
Verb
  • Another hiker survived a grizzly mauling on the popular Grinnell Glacier Trail just weeks later.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 16 June 2026
  • Chris Brown was seated at the defense table in a Los Angeles courtroom on Tuesday, poised to testify at his dog-mauling trial, when the judge declared a mistrial due to juror misconduct.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2026
Definition of mauling
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Maltreating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maltreating. Accessed 24 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on maltreating

Nglish: Translation of maltreating for Spanish Speakers

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