misuse

[ noun mis-yoos; verb mis-yooz ]
See synonyms for: misusemisused on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. wrong or improper use; misapplication.

  2. Obsolete. bad or abusive treatment.

verb (used with object),mis·used, mis·us·ing.
  1. to use wrongly or improperly; misapply.

  2. to treat badly or abusively; maltreat.

Origin of misuse

1
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at mis-1, use

Other words for misuse

Words Nearby misuse

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use misuse in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for misuse

misuse

noun(ˌmɪsˈjuːs) misusage
  1. erroneous, improper, or unorthodox use: misuse of words

  2. cruel or inhumane treatment

verb(ˌmɪsˈjuːz) (tr)
  1. to use wrongly

  2. to treat badly or harshly

  1. to use (something, esp alcohol, drugs, etc) improperly

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