as in abusing
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
the foster parent who had been mistreating his charges was sent to jail
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Recent Examples of mistreating
People created memes and videos mocking Roan for mistreating children.
—
Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2026
Brazilian soccer star Jorginho Frello is accusing Chappell Roan‘s team of mistreating his 11-year-old daughter at a hotel in São Paulo.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 21 Mar. 2026
Redzepi had been dogged for years by reports of mistreating his staff and employing unpaid interns at Noma, which received three Michelin stars and was ranked first on the World's 50 Best Restaurants List five times.
—ABC News, 14 Mar. 2026
Redzepi had been dogged for years by reports of mistreating his staff and employing unpaid interns at Noma, which received three Michelin stars and was ranked first on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List five times.
—Laurie Kellman, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
In January 2025, during an investigation by the Colorado Senate Committee on Ethics, Lewis forged several letters reportedly written by former aides to refute allegations that Lewis was mistreating staff.
—Doug Friednash, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
Venezuela has also faced allegations of mistreating its political prisoners, in El Helicoide and elsewhere.
—Uriel Blanco, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Shatzman said her group’s complaint is the first time a federal judge has been accused of mistreating staff after being reprimanded following an earlier accusation.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2026
In its statement following his death, PETA accused Easley of mistreating the tigers under his care.
—Brian Brant, PEOPLE, 11 Dec. 2025
Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 25 Mar. 2026
Brazilian soccer star Jorginho Frello is accusing Chappell Roan‘s team of mistreating his 11-year-old daughter at a hotel in São Paulo.
—Kennedy French, Variety, 21 Mar. 2026
Redzepi had been dogged for years by reports of mistreating his staff and employing unpaid interns at Noma, which received three Michelin stars and was ranked first on the World's 50 Best Restaurants List five times.
—ABC News, 14 Mar. 2026
Redzepi had been dogged for years by reports of mistreating his staff and employing unpaid interns at Noma, which received three Michelin stars and was ranked first on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants List five times.
—Laurie Kellman, Fortune, 14 Mar. 2026
In January 2025, during an investigation by the Colorado Senate Committee on Ethics, Lewis forged several letters reportedly written by former aides to refute allegations that Lewis was mistreating staff.
—Doug Friednash, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
Venezuela has also faced allegations of mistreating its political prisoners, in El Helicoide and elsewhere.
—Uriel Blanco, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Shatzman said her group’s complaint is the first time a federal judge has been accused of mistreating staff after being reprimanded following an earlier accusation.
—Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 1 Jan. 2026
In its statement following his death, PETA accused Easley of mistreating the tigers under his care.
—Brian Brant, PEOPLE, 11 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mistreating
Verb
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Investigators said, following the report, the child's mother checked surveillance video from inside the home and saw the night nurse, Cindy Dresser, physically abusing the child.—
Stephanie Ballesteros,
CBS News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Judge Joel Bennathan sentenced Matvei Rumiantsev, a 23-year-old Russian national, to two years in prison after being found guilty of assault for abusing his on-and-off girlfriend.—
Timothy Nerozzi,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Two recent cases of parents in Round Lake Beach and Fox Lake charged with several counts each of torturing and abusing their children — in one case allegedly causing a son’s death — point to the need for some sort of parental licensing.—
Charles Selle,
Chicago Tribune,
18 Mar. 2026
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The Ayatollah ruled as a brutal dictator, killing and torturing his own people, imposing harsh restrictions on basic freedoms, and put the lives of our troops and global allies constantly at risk.—
Derek Tran,
Oc Register,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Online platforms are generally not legally responsible for the content that their users post; Meta, for example, would not be liable for bullying comments or imagery for self-harm posted onto Facebook.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
25 Mar. 2026
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Lendeborg had a highlight-reel dunk by bullying his way through two defenders and finishing his transition drive with a dunk to put Michigan up 66-57.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mistreating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mistreating. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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