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
Christopher Damien, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
Despite being related to the children, Scott was arrested on child abuse charges and is being held without bail after being treated at the hospital for a hand injury, per ABC News and Fox 13 Salt Lake City.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025
In a bipartisan vote, 49 Republicans joined Democrats to repeal the authorizations, which members say have been abused to justify later military actions.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abuse
Noun
Department administrators implemented a policy to file criminal charges in every case in which there was a confrontation between deputies and detainees to make detainees’ claims of abuse less credible, according to her suit.
—Christopher Damien, USA Today, 19 Sep. 2025
Despite being related to the children, Scott was arrested on child abuse charges and is being held without bail after being treated at the hospital for a hand injury, per ABC News and Fox 13 Salt Lake City.
—Gabrielle Rockson, PEOPLE, 19 Sep. 2025
Verb
Another unnamed 13-year-old from Weld County also was repeatedly abused by the technology, the lawsuits allege.
—Elliott Wenzler, Denver Post, 18 Sep. 2025
In a bipartisan vote, 49 Republicans joined Democrats to repeal the authorizations, which members say have been abused to justify later military actions.
—David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 17 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for abuse
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abuse
Noun
-
Jokes can offend, annoy, insult or fall flat.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
19 Sep. 2025
-
The New York Times reported this phrase is a common insult across the internet.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Right now, celebrities and executives sometimes insure their face or voice against misuse.—
Ihar Kliashchou,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Psychologists have been pushing different approaches of tackling substance misuse in young people in recent years, and the issue remains a public health concern.—
Jasmine Laws,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Motivated largely by his desire to please his dead father, who bullied him into believing that toughness is the essence of manhood, Cade insists on pushing past his injury and pursuing his dream.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
19 Sep. 2025
-
Jeremiah has been so completely denigrated that the actor who plays him, Gavin Casalegno, has faced death threats, and the show’s official social media has posted public statements asking for fans to stop bullying him.—
Stephanie McNeal,
Glamour,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In a new warning, a senior Iranian army official said Tehran was ready to broaden its military reach beyond conventional strikes if attacked.—
Amira El-Fekki,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Taylor fills the bootstraps of Perfidia Beverly Hills, a formidable leader armed with a rifle fighting for the cause, her main prerogative is to overtake the institutions that imprison and attack vulnerable groups.—
Essence,
Essence,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
In an initial analysis that didn’t control for genetic factors, the researchers found a small association between women who used acetaminophen during pregnancy and the incidence of autism, ADHD, and intellectual disability.—
Dominique Mosbergen,
Time,
23 Sep. 2025
-
The Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine, which recommends using acetaminophen to treat fever and pain in pregnant women, says that untreated fever can cause grave harms such as miscarriage, birth defects or premature birth, especially early in a pregnancy.—
Jon Hamilton,
NPR,
23 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
But some of his comments on gun violence, LGBTQ issues, race and more often drew criticism from liberals and others.—
Alexandra Hutzler,
ABC News,
20 Sep. 2025
-
Trump has been campaigning against Kimmel for months over his criticism of him, so he is thrilled with the show's suspension.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Seven Bay Staters were indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly conspiring to kidnap and torture a man earlier this year.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Customers rarely remember the exact response time, unless they were tortured with on-repeat elevator music.—
Tayfun Bilsel,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But the Spirit pilots did not respond immediately, leading the testy air traffic controller to scold them repeatedly.—
Nate Anderson,
ArsTechnica,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Galligani, 55, remembers her mother as a perfectionist in the kitchen who would often scold her more free-spirited daughter for making a mess while cooking.—
The New York Times News Service Syndicate,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Abuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abuse. Accessed 23 Sep. 2025.
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