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Synonyms
Example Sentences
Noun
He subjected his wife to physical and emotional abuse.
the buying of votes and other election abuses
She was subjected to every term of abuse her boss could think of.
a torrent of verbal abuse
The prisoner hurled abuse at the judge.
Verb
He was accused of sexually abusing a child.
He abused his body with years of heavy drinking.
He had abused his first car by not taking care of it.
She abused her friend's trust.
a senator who abuses his power
He abused my confidence by letting this secret be known.
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Recent Examples on the Web
Elise Brisco, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2023
Hammer said his interest in BDSM stemmed from that abuse.
—Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 4 Feb. 2023
Air Mail reported that the Social Network star spoke about his childhood abuse with an older friend, who has since died, and with his godmother, Candace Garvey, who confirmed Hammer's account.
—Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 4 Feb. 2023
These children also were susceptible to drug and alcohol abuse and suicide attempts and were likely to commit violence, the study said.
—Justin Gamble, CNN, 4 Feb. 2023
The University of California’s California Policy Lab analyzed surveys of 64,000 people who were homeless across 15 different states and found that 78% of the unsheltered homeless suffered from mental illness and 75% from a substance abuse disorder.
—Katherine Drabiak, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2023
The woman who spoke on Friday afternoon asserted that the industry needs to develop better practices and reporting structures to stop abuse.
—Elizabeth Wagmeister, Variety, 3 Feb. 2023
The chatbot’s creator, OpenAI, even unveiled a tool to detect text generated by artificial intelligence to prevent abuse from cheaters, spammers and others.
—Josh Zumbrun, WSJ, 3 Feb. 2023
Still, advocates and attorneys argue that the system for helping domestic violence victims and prosecuting them for violent crimes that stem from that abuse still needs work.
—Kyla Milberger, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2023
Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 10 Jan. 2023
That’s how Apple makes sure people do not abuse the feature.
—Chris Smith, BGR, 3 Jan. 2023
This door has been open for tech companies of all stripes to abuse in similar fashion.
—Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 7 Jan. 2023
Intention to abuse and control can transform luddites into experts.
—Andrea Gunraj, WIRED, 11 Oct. 2022
Other companies might still abuse iPhone data to harvest information about you for targeted ads.
—Chris Smith, BGR, 11 Dec. 2022
That many states abuse their powers only underscores why the liberal and politically responsible states must build up national strength.
—WSJ, 21 Oct. 2022
But did DiMaggio actually abuse Monroe physically or emotionally?
—Paul Schrodt, Men's Health, 10 Oct. 2022
Did Marilyn Monroe’s husband, Joe DiMaggio, abuse her?
—Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 29 Sep. 2022
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Noun
The disgraced actor was first accused of psychological abuse and rape from previous romantic partners in 2021.
—Elise Brisco, USA TODAY, 5 Feb. 2023
Hammer said his interest in BDSM stemmed from that abuse.
—Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 4 Feb. 2023
Air Mail reported that the Social Network star spoke about his childhood abuse with an older friend, who has since died, and with his godmother, Candace Garvey, who confirmed Hammer's account.
—Emlyn Travis, EW.com, 4 Feb. 2023
These children also were susceptible to drug and alcohol abuse and suicide attempts and were likely to commit violence, the study said.
—Justin Gamble, CNN, 4 Feb. 2023
The University of California’s California Policy Lab analyzed surveys of 64,000 people who were homeless across 15 different states and found that 78% of the unsheltered homeless suffered from mental illness and 75% from a substance abuse disorder.
—Katherine Drabiak, The Conversation, 3 Feb. 2023
The woman who spoke on Friday afternoon asserted that the industry needs to develop better practices and reporting structures to stop abuse.
—Elizabeth Wagmeister, Variety, 3 Feb. 2023
The chatbot’s creator, OpenAI, even unveiled a tool to detect text generated by artificial intelligence to prevent abuse from cheaters, spammers and others.
—Josh Zumbrun, WSJ, 3 Feb. 2023
Still, advocates and attorneys argue that the system for helping domestic violence victims and prosecuting them for violent crimes that stem from that abuse still needs work.
—Kyla Milberger, ABC News, 3 Feb. 2023
Verb
So New York got rid of its robot because some people didn't trust the police not to abuse the technology.
—Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 10 Jan. 2023
That’s how Apple makes sure people do not abuse the feature.
—Chris Smith, BGR, 3 Jan. 2023
This door has been open for tech companies of all stripes to abuse in similar fashion.
—Jason Linkins, The New Republic, 7 Jan. 2023
Intention to abuse and control can transform luddites into experts.
—Andrea Gunraj, WIRED, 11 Oct. 2022
Other companies might still abuse iPhone data to harvest information about you for targeted ads.
—Chris Smith, BGR, 11 Dec. 2022
That many states abuse their powers only underscores why the liberal and politically responsible states must build up national strength.
—WSJ, 21 Oct. 2022
But did DiMaggio actually abuse Monroe physically or emotionally?
—Paul Schrodt, Men's Health, 10 Oct. 2022
Did Marilyn Monroe’s husband, Joe DiMaggio, abuse her?
—Lauren Puckett-pope, ELLE, 29 Sep. 2022
See More
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abuse.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin abūsus "misuse, waste," noun derivative from abūtī "to exhaust, use up, misuse," from ab- ab- + ūtī "to use entry 1"
Verb
Middle English abusen, borrowed from Anglo-French abuser, verbal derivative of abuse abuse entry 1
First Known Use
Noun
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Verb
15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of abuse was
in the 15th century
Phrases Containing abuse
Dictionary Entries Near abuse
Cite this Entry
“Abuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abuse. Accessed 8 Feb. 2023.
Kids Definition
Legal Definition
abuse
1 of 2 transitive verb
abused; abusing
abuser
noun
abuse
2 of 2 noun2
a
: the infliction of physical or emotional injury
also
: the crime of inflicting such injury see also battered child syndrome, battered woman's syndrome compare cruelty, neglect
b
More from Merriam-Webster on abuse
Nglish: Translation of abuse for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of abuse for Arabic Speakers
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