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2 dictionary results for: Abusing
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
a·buse       [v. uh-byooz; n. uh-byoos] Pronunciation Key verb, a·bused, a·bus·ing, noun
–verb (used with object)
1.to use wrongly or improperly; misuse: to abuse one's authority.
2.to treat in a harmful, injurious, or offensive way: to abuse a horse; to abuse one's eyesight.
3.to speak insultingly, harshly, and unjustly to or about; revile; malign.
4.to commit sexual assault upon.
5.Obsolete. to deceive or mislead.
–noun
6.wrong or improper use; misuse: the abuse of privileges.
7.harshly or coarsely insulting language: The officer heaped abuse on his men.
8.bad or improper treatment; maltreatment: The child was subjected to cruel abuse.
9.a corrupt or improper practice or custom: the abuses of a totalitarian regime.
10.rape or sexual assault.
11.Obsolete. deception.
—Idiom
12.abuse oneself, to masturbate.
[Origin: 1400–50; (v.) late ME abusen < MF abuser, v. deriv. of abus < L abūsus misuse, wasting, equiv. to abūt(ī) to use up, misuse (ab- ab- + ūtī to use) + -tus suffix of v. action; (n.) late ME abus < MF abus or L abūsus]

—Related forms
a·bus·a·ble       [uh-byoo-zuh-buhl] Pronunciation Key, adjective
a·bus·er, noun

—Synonyms 1. misapply. 2. ill-use, maltreat, injure, harm, hurt. 3. vilify, vituperate, berate, scold; slander, defame, calumniate, traduce. 6. misapplication. 7. slander, aspersion. 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.
—Antonyms 3, 7. praise.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
a·buse       (ə-byōōz')  Pronunciation Key 
tr.v.   a·bused, a·bus·ing, a·bus·es
  1. To use wrongly or improperly; misuse: abuse alcohol; abuse a privilege.
  2. To hurt or injure by maltreatment; ill-use.
  3. To force sexual activity on; rape or molest.
  4. To assail with contemptuous, coarse, or insulting words; revile.
  5. Obsolete To deceive or trick.

n.   (ə-byōōs')
  1. Improper use or handling; misuse: abuse of authority; drug abuse.
  2. Physical maltreatment: spousal abuse.
  3. Sexual abuse.
  4. An unjust or wrongful practice: a government that commits abuses against its citizens.
  5. Insulting or coarse language: verbal abuse.


[Middle English abusen, from Old French abuser, from abus, improper use, from Latin abūsus, past participle of abūtī, to misuse : ab-, away; see ab-1 + ūtī, to use.]

a·bus'er n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to treat wrongfully or harmfully. Abuse applies to injurious or improper treatment: "We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us" (Aldo Leopold).
Misuse stresses incorrect or unknowledgeable handling: "How often misused words generate misleading thoughts" (Herbert Spencer).
Mistreat, ill-treat, and maltreat all share the sense of inflicting injury, often intentionally: "I had seen many more patients die from being mistreated for consumption than from consumption itself" (Earl of Lytton). The army had orders not to ill-treat the prisoners. "When we misuse [a language other than our native language], we are in fact trying to reduce its element of foreignness. We let ourselves maltreat it as though it naturally belonged to us" (Manchester Guardian Weekly).

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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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