to use wrongly or improperly; misuse: to abuse one's authority.
to treat in a harmful, injurious, or offensive way: to abuse a horse; to abuse one's eyesight.
to speak insultingly, harshly, and unjustly to or about; revile; malign.
to commit sexual assault upon.
Obsolete. to deceive or mislead.
noun
wrong or improper use; misuse: the abuse of privileges.
harshly or coarsely insulting language: The officer heaped abuse on his men.
bad or improper treatment; maltreatment: The child was subjected to cruel abuse.
a corrupt or improper practice or custom: the abuses of a totalitarian regime.
rape or sexual assault.
Obsolete. deception.
Idioms for abuse
abuse oneself, to masturbate.
Origin of abuse
1400–50; (v.) late Middle English abusen<Middle French abuser, verbal derivative of abus<Latin abūsus misuse, wasting, equivalent to abūt(ī) to use up, misuse (ab-ab- + ūtī to use) + -tus suffix of v. action; (noun) late Middle English abus<Middle French abus or Latin abūsus
7. Abuse,censure,invective all mean strongly expressed disapproval. Abuse implies an outburst of harsh and scathing words against another (often one who is defenseless): abuse directed against an opponent.Censure implies blame, adverse criticism, or hostile condemnation: severe censure of acts showing bad judgment.Invective applies to strong but formal denunciation in speech or print, often in the public interest: invective against graft.
OTHER WORDS FROM abuse
a·bus·a·ble[uh-byoo-zuh-buhl], /əˈbyu zə bəl/, adjectivea·bus·er,nounan·ti·a·buse,adjectiveo·ver·a·buse,noun,verb (used with object),o·ver·a·bused,o·ver·a·bus·ing.
un·a·bus·a·ble,adjectiveun·a·bused,adjective
Words nearby abuse
abundant number, Abu Qir, ab urbe condita, A bursary, abusage, abuse, Abu Simbel, abusive, abut, abutilon, abutment
When it paused the service earlier this year, the company said it was investigating reports of abuse, especially from malware groups.
Mozilla shutters Firefox Send and Notes|Frederic Lardinois|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
Regular testing can help the department identify officers with substance abuse issues as well.
The policing reforms in the Breonna Taylor settlement, explained|Fabiola Cineas|September 17, 2020|Vox
She said the lead agency into the woman’s allegations is now the Justice Department’s Inspector General, which oversees accusations of civil rights abuses.
ICE Deported a Woman Who Accused Guards of Sexual Assault While the Feds Were Still Investigating the Incident|by Lomi Kriel|September 15, 2020|ProPublica
What I do know from the research that’s out there on abuse and abusers is that there’s a range of, I’d say of levels of denial that they are in … but I haven’t done any interviews.
Can Anita Hill Forgive Joe Biden … and Work With Him?|Pallabi Munsi|September 14, 2020|Ozy
In 2018, for example, Facebook was slow to act on misinformation spreading in Myanmar that ultimately led to human rights abuses.
AI ethics groups are repeating one of society’s classic mistakes|Amy Nordrum|September 14, 2020|MIT Technology Review
These were cops who had worked the protests and suffered the accompanying verbal taunts and abuse.
Shot Down During the NYPD Slowdown|Michael Daly|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
When they get someone high profile, like the governor [Bob McDonnell] or like Teresa, they will abuse their positions.
How a ‘Real Housewife’ Survives Prison: ‘I Don’t See [Teresa Giudice] Having a Cakewalk Here’|Michael Howard|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Perhaps one of the most egregious examples is the abuse of civil asset forfeiture laws.
Are Police Stealing People’s Property?|Joan Blades, Matt Kibbe|January 2, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Law is essential to freedom because it safeguards citizens against misconduct and abuse.
Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans|Philip K. Howard|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 2008, he was arrested for reporting about the abuse of prisoners in Syrian jails.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You ought to avoid entirely such a procedure in this last class of cases; for it is an abuse of the genuine purpose of Dialectic.
Aristotle|George Grote
May not this practice be justly regarded as an abuse of the asylum?
On the State of Lunacy and the Legal Provision for the Insane|John T. Arlidge
The obligation was mutual, that the host should give hospitality, and that the guest should not abuse it.