: subjected to harmful or improper treatment : having suffered abuse
providing support for abused children/women

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Children from abused and neglected households are taken in by the state's child welfare department with a promise of being kept safe. CBS News, 20 Jan. 2023 The program offers volunteers who are trained to speak on behalf of abused and neglected children in court. Mackenzie Brower, The Arizona Republic, 19 Nov. 2021 She's ably supported by rising star Lashana Lynch as Miss Honey, a kindly teacher who takes the abused and disregarded Matilda under her wing. Lauren Morgan, EW.com, 9 Mar. 2023 The wail of his abused spirit seems to well up subtly in his eyes, the weight of endured indignities seems to bow his shoulders and furrow his brow. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 2 Mar. 2023 But toolkits and guidance, while extremely helpful, still place the burden of responsibility on the shoulders of the abused. Gina Neff Rumman Chowdhury, WIRED, 28 Feb. 2023 The Flight Attendant actress and avid equestrian — who is married to horse trainer Karl Cook — shared a series of impassioned Instagram Stories on Friday condemning the coach and offering to buy the abused horse, Saint Boy. Dave Quinn, PEOPLE.com, 14 Aug. 2021 The work is historical fiction, based on the Magdalene laundries run by the Catholic church through the 20th century in Ireland, where unwed mothers and their children were put to work and abused. The Editors, Outside Online, 10 Jan. 2023 She’s a human rights lawyer, defending abused women and girls in her native Afghanistan, a country of 40 million now under Taliban rule. Dallas News, 25 Oct. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'abused.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of abused was in 1550

Dictionary Entries Near abused

Cite this Entry

“Abused.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/abused. Accessed 24 Mar. 2023.

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