misuse

1 of 2

verb

mis·​use ˌmis-ˈyüz 

misused; misusing; misuses

transitive verb

1

: to use incorrectly : misapply

misused his talents

a word that is frequently misused

2

: abuse, mistreat

… their prisoner had the heavy task of receiving their insolence as wit, answering their insults with good-humour, and withholding from them the opportunity which they sought of engaging him in a quarrel, that they might have a pretence for misusing him.

—Sir Walter Scott

misuser noun

plural misusers

misuse

2 of 2

noun

mis·​use ˌmis-ˈyüs 

: incorrect or improper use : misapplication

Synonyms

Verb

• abuse
• misapply
• misemploy
• pervert
• profane
• prostitute

Noun

• abuse
• misapplication
• misemployment
• misusage
• misutilization
• perversion

Examples of misuse in a Sentence

Verb

She's charged with misusing company funds.

a word that is frequently misused

Noun

No refunds will be offered on products damaged by misuse.

the warranty for this dryer is null and void if you subject the product to deliberate misuse

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

While that case remains ongoing, the U.S. Court of International Trade found that Trump misused the same presidential authority in a ruling this week on separate tariff cases. —Chad De Guzman, Time, 30 May 2025

But a number of people misused those funds, both around the Charlotte region and nationally. —Chase Jordan, Charlotte Observer, 22 May 2025

Noun

Business Taken together, the changes reflect a new emphasis at Meta in favor of more unrestrained speech and more rapidly updating its apps — a dismantling of various guardrails the company has enacted over the years to curb the misuse of its platforms. —Shannon Bond, NPR, 31 May 2025

Use large language models to analyze claims data and surface patterns in misuse, delays or preventable escalations. —Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 22 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, partly from mis- + usen to use; partly from Middle French mesuser to abuse, from Old French, from mes- + user to use

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for misuse

• accrues
• accuse
• aircrews
• amuse
• bamboos
• breakthroughs
• canoes
• cashews
• chartreuse
• confuse
• construes
• defuse

Kids Definition

misuse

1 of 2 verb

mis·​use mish-ˈüz 

(ˈ)mish-ˈyüz,

(ˈ)mis-ˈyüz

1

: to use incorrectly : misapply

2

: abuse entry 1 sense 2, mistreat

misusage

-ˈ(y)ü-sij

-zij

noun

misuse

2 of 2 noun

mis·​use mish-ˈüs 

(ˈ)mish-ˈyüs,

(ˈ)mis-ˈyüs

: incorrect or improper use