1
as in insult
harsh insulting language
hometown fans hurled abuse at the visiting team
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in misuse
incorrect or improper use
naturally the furniture had received a lot of abuse from the 10 kids in the family
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to bully
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
if you abuse your pet, he will always have an ugly disposition
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to attack
to criticize harshly and usually publicly
a demanding, difficult patient who constantly abuses the nurses and aides
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to misuse
to put to a bad or improper use
if you abuse your baseball bat by using it to hammer nails, don't expect it to last long
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to use
to take unfair advantage of
abused his parents' trust, pilfering small amounts from them that he hoped they wouldn't notice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of abuse
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025
The children’s 20-year-old mother also lives at the apartment in Inwood, but is not believed to have been involved in the abuse.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2025
Nicole Acosta, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025
The club came under fire for hiring Abel, who left his job as Oregon’s head coach last fall, months after The Oregonian reported more than a dozen Ducks players had alleged Abel verbally abused them.
—Michael Nowels, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abuse
Noun
As well as the criminal case, Combs is accused in more than 25 other cases of assault, abuse, rape and more, with even more allegations and filings coming in by the week.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 14 Mar. 2025
The children’s 20-year-old mother also lives at the apartment in Inwood, but is not believed to have been involved in the abuse.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 13 Mar. 2025
Verb
As part of her 10-page plea agreement, Franke admitted to abusing her two youngest children.
—Nicole Acosta, People.com, 28 Feb. 2025
The club came under fire for hiring Abel, who left his job as Oregon’s head coach last fall, months after The Oregonian reported more than a dozen Ducks players had alleged Abel verbally abused them.
—Michael Nowels, The Mercury News, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abuse
Noun
-
The previous time Lilian had seen Imelda, who was sitting next to her in London, was ten years earlier, when her children were alive, but with some people mindless small talk would be an insult.—
Yiyun Li,
The New Yorker,
9 Mar. 2025
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That’s because Trump’s approach isn’t just an insult to Zelensky but to Ukraine itself and its institution of national leadership.—
Illia Ponomarenko,
TIME,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Making the Connected Cameras feature widely available without the need for third-party apps will only make these forms of misuse.—
Paul Monckton,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
-
Behavior changes: Substance misuse, overeating or undereating, nicotine use, excessive social media use, and gaming are common signs of stress.—
Ashley Olivine, Ph.D., MPH,
Verywell Health,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
While being black or white may not be inherent to Snape’s character, Potter fans note that this will set up situations like James Potter bullying a young black kid in the ‘70s which are certainly not good optics and totally change the dynamics of the James/Lily/Snape storyline.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes,
8 Mar. 2025
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The claims range from a prosecutor addressing an attorney by her first name and interfering with witnesses during depositions, to allegations that prosecutors withheld evidence, bullied a witness and engaged in selective prosecution of a mother whose son was shot and killed by police.—
Brittany Wallman,
Miami Herald,
7 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
When Jensen then decides to go long, Collins and Pinnock move towards the near post and Wissa adjusts his position to be able to attack the second ball.—
Mark Carey,
The Athletic,
13 Mar. 2025
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There’s good reason why security experts, and analysts such as myself, recommend using a password manager as hackers continue to attack the integrity of your login credentials across accounts.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes,
12 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Very quickly, Nate learns to use his affliction to his advantage via such methods as grabbing a blazing hot frying pan and pummeling his stunned opponent with it during a kitchen fight.—
Frank Scheck,
The Hollywood Reporter,
8 Mar. 2025
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Not unlike the human snowbirds, hundreds of actual birds use Port Aransas and neighboring Mustang Island as a popular resting place in their seasonal migratory patterns through the Central Flyway.—
Mariah Tyler,
Travel + Leisure,
8 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Despite his criticism over the cost of her preparation or the size of her support team, Wu did well in standing up for the city, Kraft said.—
Matthew Medsger,
Boston Herald,
10 Mar. 2025
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Prominent pro-Israel voices, as well as critics of Israel, defended the movie — or at least called on their allies to tone down the criticism.—
Ben Sales,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2025
Verb
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One of Manson's followers, Bobby Beausoleil, was found guilty of torturing and murdering the man who introduced Manson to Wilson, Gary Hinman.—
William Lambers,
Newsweek,
8 Mar. 2025
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Between January and June 2023, the couple abused and tortured their two children within the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Reservation, according to prosecutors.—
Jennifer Rodriguez,
Kansas City Star,
6 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Michelle Obama playfully scolded her husband, Barack Obama, on her new podcast with her brother, Craig Robinson.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
12 Mar. 2025
-
According to Smith, James, who approached him in the third quarter during a timeout, scolded him for his commentary regarding his son and teammate, Bronny James.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
12 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abuse. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.
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