1
as in bullying
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon
if you abuse your pet, he will always have an ugly disposition
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in attacking
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 misusing
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 exploiting
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 abusing
The couple was accused of abusing Ethan and their 3-year-old son.
—
Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
According to the lawsuit, Myer allegedly began abusing his police powers against Gabriele in September 2021.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2026
Eventually, someone reported me to the Alumni Association for abusing my access to the database, and the administrators threatened to revoke my privileges.
—Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Three women accused of abusing 6-year-old Dominque Moody, who died in December, are now also facing first-degree murder charges.
—Charlotte Observer, 5 Feb. 2026
They were arrested in Oklahoma in November 2023 and charged with abusing nearly 200 corpses.
—Jesse Bedayn, Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2026
Allen was never formally charged and has consistently denied abusing his daughter.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Senior figures within the DA have accused one another of abusing power and manipulating state institutions, drawing South Africa’s anti-corruption watchdog into what is, in effect, an internal leadership battle.
—Sam Mkokeli, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Jurors acquitted him of abusing two other patients and deadlocked on charges involving four more patients.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Dejanay Booth-Singleton, CBS News, 6 Feb. 2026
According to the lawsuit, Myer allegedly began abusing his police powers against Gabriele in September 2021.
—Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2026
Eventually, someone reported me to the Alumni Association for abusing my access to the database, and the administrators threatened to revoke my privileges.
—Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Three women accused of abusing 6-year-old Dominque Moody, who died in December, are now also facing first-degree murder charges.
—Charlotte Observer, 5 Feb. 2026
They were arrested in Oklahoma in November 2023 and charged with abusing nearly 200 corpses.
—Jesse Bedayn, Denver Post, 5 Feb. 2026
Allen was never formally charged and has consistently denied abusing his daughter.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 5 Feb. 2026
Senior figures within the DA have accused one another of abusing power and manipulating state institutions, drawing South Africa’s anti-corruption watchdog into what is, in effect, an internal leadership battle.
—Sam Mkokeli, semafor.com, 4 Feb. 2026
Jurors acquitted him of abusing two other patients and deadlocked on charges involving four more patients.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusing
Verb
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Rootselaar transitioned from male to female about six years ago and subsequently dropped out of school two years later, but McDonald said there is no evidence that Rootselaar dropped out due to bullying because of the transition.—
Claire Carter,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Feb. 2026
-
For more than a year, high-ranking staffers have resigned, often in public fashion, and accused him of bullying them and abusing his office’s authority.—
Ryan Oehrli
February 10,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The strategy marks a shift toward attacking cartels’ financial systems as law enforcement pressure mounts on traditional drug routes.—
Alanna Durkin Richer,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Dan Ndoye is capable of playing in a central attacking role and Morgan Gibbs-White has looked handy playing in a more advanced role.—
Paul Taylor,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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She was convicted of misusing her power and violating the trust given to her as a public official.—
DP Opinion,
Denver Post,
10 Feb. 2026
-
While the complaint was pending, Myer allegedly contacted Norwalk police and told them Gabriele was misusing a license plate again, the lawsuit contends.—
Justin Muszynski,
Hartford Courant,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Quantum systems promise new ways to solve specific classes of problems by exploiting superposition and entanglement.—
Matthew S Williams,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The agency is working with its partners to stop hackers from exploiting any of the vulnerabilities identified in the report, said Nick Andersen, CISA’s executive assistant director for cybersecurity.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Yorgos Lanthimos, Florian Zeller and Juliette Binoche are among more than 800 film professionals who have signed a joint statement condemning the Iranian government for killing and torturing its own people.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Dan Bujor, who lives out of a school bus parked in Long Island City, was arrested Sunday on charges including overdriving animals, torturing and injuring animals and failure to provide sustenance, in addition to driving without a license, in connection with the bizarre incident, cops said.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The xAI-SpaceX merger is still fresh, AI fears have been slamming software stocks, and Moltbook—a social network for personal AI agents—blew up the Internet.—
Allie Garfinkle,
Fortune,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Heathcliff acts like a whiny little baby throughout this film, constantly throwing tantrums, running away, and slamming doors.—
Cazzie David,
Vogue,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The reversal follows a string of high-profile shootings involving federal immigration agents in which eyewitness statements and video evidence have called into question claims made to justify using deadly force.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The probe was delayed from 2022, and headed for the asteroid Psyche, using a Mars-gravity assist and not arriving until August 2029.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
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After Conley admitted to violating parole in federal court on Monday, Hall revoked his supervised release and sentenced him to 21 months in or with no supervised release to follow.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
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Wiener is also pushing new legislation — called the No Kings Act — that would allow people in California to sue federal agents for violating their rights.—
Kevin Rector,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusing. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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