Definition of abuse
Etymology 1
From French or Old French abus, or Latin abusus.
Pronunciation
- (RP)
IPA: /əˈbjuːs/
SAMPA:/@"bju:s/ - (US)
IPA /əˈbjus/
SAMPA: /@"bjus/
Audio (US) [?]
Noun
abuse (plural abuses)
- Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; misuse; perversion.
Liberty may be endangered by the abuses of liberty, as well as by the abuses of power.- James Madison
- Physical or verbal maltreatment; injury.
- Sexual assault; violation; rape.
- An unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom; offense; crime; fault.
- Coarse, insulting speech; abusive language.
The two parties, after exchanging a good deal of abuse, came to blows. - Thomas Babington Macaulay
Synonyms
- invective
- contumely
- reproach
- scurrility
- insult
- opprobrium
Derived terms
Etymology 2
From French or Old French abuser, from Latin abusus, past participle stem of abuti, from ab- + uti "to use".
Pronunciation
- (RP)
IPA: /əˈbjuːz/
SAMPA: /@"bju:z/
- (US)
IPA: /əˈbjuz/
SAMPA: /@"bjuz/
Audio (US) [?]
Verb
to abuse (third-person singular simple present abuses, present participle abusing, simple past and past participle abused)
- (transitive) To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to use improperly; to misuse; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert; as, to abuse one's authority.
This principle (if one may so abuse the word) shoots rapidly into popularity. - James Anthony Froude
- (transitive) To injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty.
- (transitive) To rape; to assault; to ravish; to violate.
- (transitive) To attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile.
- (transitive) (obsolete) To deceive; to trick; to impose on.
Their eyes red and staring, cozened with a moist cloud, and abused by a double object. - Jeremy Taylor
Synonyms
- maltreat
- injure
- revile
- reproach
- vilify
- vituperate
- asperse
- traduce
- malign
Derived terms
Related terms
- abusive
- abusively
- abusiveness
Anagrams
References:
- Wiktionary. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
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