1
as in abusing
to put to a bad or improper use
an actor who misused his considerable talent by appearing in too many lousy movies
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in bullying
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
sadly misused by the people he had trusted
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of misusing
Wai was convicted of misusing his Border Force job to search the interior ministry’s computer database and gain access to details of foreign nationals.
—
Reuters, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police charged him with misusing 911.
—Ryan Oehrli
may 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2026
And indeed recent reports suggest that some employees are sabotaging their companies’ AI rollouts by misusing AI tools, generating poor work to make AI appear ineffective, or outright refusing to employ the technology.
—Claire Zillman, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
According to the indictment, Van Dyke now faces counts of wire fraud, commodities fraud, misusing non-public government information and other charges.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 23 Apr. 2026
This comes after City Administrator Jeff Harris accused Odette of misusing public funds, which the mayor denies.
—Veronica Ortega, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
In October 2025, he and another former Godley officer were indicted on charges of misusing a city credit card.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2026
Trump has accused Biden of misusing an autopen during his presidency, despite the allegation never having been verified.
—Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm sues his parents for millions, accusing them of misusing his money.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2026
Reuters, CNN Money, 8 May 2026
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police charged him with misusing 911.
—Ryan Oehrli
may 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2026
And indeed recent reports suggest that some employees are sabotaging their companies’ AI rollouts by misusing AI tools, generating poor work to make AI appear ineffective, or outright refusing to employ the technology.
—Claire Zillman, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2026
According to the indictment, Van Dyke now faces counts of wire fraud, commodities fraud, misusing non-public government information and other charges.
—Bobby Allyn, NPR, 23 Apr. 2026
This comes after City Administrator Jeff Harris accused Odette of misusing public funds, which the mayor denies.
—Veronica Ortega, CBS News, 21 Apr. 2026
In October 2025, he and another former Godley officer were indicted on charges of misusing a city credit card.
—Shambhavi Rimal, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 Apr. 2026
Trump has accused Biden of misusing an autopen during his presidency, despite the allegation never having been verified.
—Paloma Chavez, PEOPLE, 7 Apr. 2026
Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm sues his parents for millions, accusing them of misusing his money.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for misusing
abusing
Verb
-
According to a Reddit post from the company and a spokesperson, the Spectrum emails are legit and are part of the FBI’s effort to crack down on Russian hackers abusing 23 TP-Link router models.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
30 Apr. 2026
-
He was accused of abusing boys, a charge that went unproven but sullied his reputation in Europe.—
Amanda Rosa
Updated April 28,
Miami Herald,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Misusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/misusing. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
