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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
Matt Robison, Newsweek, 18 Feb. 2025
Disclosure of the report comes at a time when the BBC is undertaking a workplace culture review and employees are being questioned about their experiences of wrongdoing or abuses of power.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2025
Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 15 Feb. 2025
Boss’ mother, Connie Boss, in an interview earlier this week disputed the claim that her son had been abusing drugs.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abuse
Noun
Gabby's family remains vocal advocates for domestic violence awareness and have worked on legislation aimed at improving protections for missing persons and abuse victims.
—Matt Robison, Newsweek, 18 Feb. 2025
Disclosure of the report comes at a time when the BBC is undertaking a workplace culture review and employees are being questioned about their experiences of wrongdoing or abuses of power.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 18 Feb. 2025
Verb
But in fact, the real constitutional crisis is taking place within our judicial branch, where district court judges in liberal districts across the country are abusing their power to unilaterally lock President Trump's basic executive authority.
—Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 15 Feb. 2025
Boss’ mother, Connie Boss, in an interview earlier this week disputed the claim that her son had been abusing drugs.
—Jessica Schladebeck, New York Daily News, 13 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abuse
Noun
-
During a 2026 World Cup qualifier against Brazil in November 2023, Messi and Rodrygo exchanged insults.—
Felipe Cardenas,
The Athletic,
26 Feb. 2025
-
The jury found that on Aug. 19, after Stanford revoked her access, Mangi logged into the study database and replaced patient medical data with erroneous information and insults about her former supervisor, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.—
Jason Green,
The Mercury News,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The movie ends with Bill's misuse of the monkey causing an apocalyptic event, and the bros make up (though Bill has his head flattened by a flying bowling ball).—
Brian Truitt,
USA TODAY,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Privacy advocates and lawmakers have expressed concern about the potential misuse of such data.—
Oumou Fofana,
Essence,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
For nothing is more European, at least in today’s Europe, than being bullied by Russia while complaining about the United States.—
Dominic Green,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
21 Feb. 2025
-
Hal was always bullied by his slightly older twin brother, Bill.—
Brian Davids,
The Hollywood Reporter,
21 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Despite losing all three, there were significant improvements collectively and individually, with contributions from attacking starlets Nico Paz, who scored against Atalanta, and Diao, who got the equaliser against Juventus.—
David Ferrini,
Forbes,
28 Feb. 2025
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The case, which generated headlines around the world, comes amid rising hostility against Muslims and Palestinians in the U.S. since Hamas attacked Israel in October 2023.—
Sophia Tareen and Melissa Perez Winder,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Feb. 2025
Verb
-
The intrigue: There's growing speculation that the Vikes could use the franchise tag on Darnold and then trade him to another team that is desperate for a quarterback, like the Las Vegas Raiders or New York Giants.—
Nick Halter,
Axios,
24 Feb. 2025
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New York has three days off in the first 15 days of the season, meaning the team won’t need to use a fifth starter until April 8 (the 11th game) or a sixth starter until April 16 (the 18th game).—
Will Sammon,
The Athletic,
24 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Since then, Starmer has kept a tight lid on any criticism of the president from within his ranks.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN,
26 Feb. 2025
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The chairwoman at the time, Cynthia Brumback, departed amid criticism of how the exhibition proceeded despite having received FBI queries into their provenance as early as July 2021.—
Tessa Solomon,
ARTnews.com,
26 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Investigation:Slain transgender man Sam Nordquist was tortured for weeks, police say; 5 people arrested What was the motive behind the attack?—
Julia Gomez,
USA TODAY,
17 Feb. 2025
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For a month and a half, the men were tortured and abused.—
Lauren Green,
Fox News,
16 Feb. 2025
Verb
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However, the voice resembling Smith Sr.’s goes silent for the remainder of the phone call, as Martinez continues to scold him for his actions.—
Preezy Brown,
VIBE.com,
24 Feb. 2025
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Shakira storms off Miami nightclub stage after appearing to scold clubgoer for filming up her dress The title of the tour is taken from the singer's 12th studio album, released last year and the first since 2017's El Dorado.—
Ryan Coleman,
EW.com,
16 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abuse. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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