Abuse

Definition of Abuse

A`buse´

v. t.

To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to misuse; to put to a bad use; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert; as, to abuse inherited gold; to make an excessive use of; as, to abuse one's authority.

[imp. & p. p. Abused ( ); p. pr. & vb. n. Abusing.]

This principle (if one may so abuse the word) shoots rapidly into popularity.

- Froude.

To use ill; to maltreat; to act injuriously to; to punish or to tax excessively; to hurt; as, to abuse prisoners, to abuse one's powers, one's patience.

To revile; to reproach coarsely; to disparage.

The . . . tellers of news abused the general.

- Macaulay.

To dishonor.

To violate; to ravish.

To deceive; to impose on.

Their eyes red and staring, cozened with a moist cloud, and abused by a double object.

- Jer. Taylor.

Improper treatment or use; application to a wrong or bad purpose; misuse; as, an abuse of our natural powers; an abuse of civil rights, or of privileges or advantages; an abuse of language.

Liberty may be endangered by the abuses of liberty, as well as by the abuses of power.

- Madison.

Physical ill treatment; injury.

A corrupt practice or custom; offense; crime; fault; as, the abuses in the civil service.

Abuse after disappeared without a struggle..

- Macaulay.

Vituperative words; coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; virulent condemnation; reviling.

The two parties, after exchanging a good deal of abuse, came to blows.

- Macaulay.

Violation; rape; as, abuse of a female child.

Or is it some abuse, and no such thing?

- Shak.

Abuse of distress
(Law) a wrongful using of an animal or chattel distrained, by the distrainer.

Related Words

abuse of office, addiction, afflict, aggrieve, assail, assailing, assault, atrocity, attack, bark at, batter, befoul, befoulment, belittle, berate, berating, betongue, betray, betrayal, bewitch, billingsgate, bitter words, blacken, blackening, blackguard, blaspheme, bleed, bleed white, blight, bruise, buffet, call names, calumniate, calumniation, calumny, catachresis, censure, condemn, contumely, conversion, convert, corrupt, corrupt administration, corruption, criminal assault, crucify, curse, cursing, cuss out, damn, debase, debasement, debauch, debauchment, deceive, decry, defalcate, defalcation, defame, defile, defilement, defloration, deflower, deflowering, dependence, deprave, deprecate, depreciate, derogate, desecrate, despoil, despoilment, destroy, detract from, diatribe, disadvantage, discount, disparage, dispraise, disserve, distress, diversion, divert, do a mischief, do evil, do ill, do violence to, do wrong, do wrong by, do wrong to, doom, drain, embezzle, embezzlement, envenom, epithet, epithetize, execrate, execration, exploit, fault, force, foul, fouling, fulminate against, get into trouble, harass, hard words, hex, ill use, ill-treat, ill-treatment, ill-usage, impair, impose, impose upon, imprecation, infect, injury, jaw, jawing, jeremiad, jinx, knock about, lambaste, lead astray, libel, load with reproaches, make use of, maladminister, maladministration, malediction, malfeasance, malign, maligning, malpractice, maltreat, malversation, manhandle, manipulate, mar, masturbation, maul, menace, mess up, milk, minimize, misapplication, misappropriate, misappropriation, misconduct, misemployment, misfeasance, mishandle, mishandling, mislead, mismanage, mismanagement, mistreatment, misusage, molest, molestation, mud, objurgate, objurgation, obloquy, onslaught, oppress, opprobrium, peculate, peculation, persecute, pervert, philippic, pilfer, pilfering, play havoc with, play hob with, play on, poison, pollute, pollution, poor stewardship, prejudice, presume upon, priapism, profane, profanity, prostitute, prostitution, rag, rail at, railing, rape, rate, rating, ravage, rave against, ravish, ravishment, rebuke, revile, revilement, rough, rough up, ruin, savage, scathe, scolding, screed, scurrility, seduce, seducement, seduction, self-abuse, sexual assault, slander, soil, spoil, stroke, suck dry, sully, swear, swear at, swearing, taint, take advantage of, threaten, thunder against, tirade, tongue-lash, tongue-lashing, torment, torture, traduce, upbraid, use, use ill, vilification, vilify, violate, violation, violence, vituperate, vituperation, work on, work upon, wound, wreak havoc on, write off, wrong, yell at, yelp at

Browse

Abstruseness
Abstrusion
Abstrusity
Absume
Absumption
Absurd
Absurdity
Absurdly
Absurdness
Abudefduf
abulia
abulic
Abuna
Abundance
Abundant
Abundant number
Abundantly
Aburst
Abusable
Abusage
-Abuse-
Abuse of distress
Abuseful
Abuser
Abusion
Abusive
Abusively
Abusiveness
Abut
Abutilon
Abutment
Abutment pier
Abuttal
Abutter
Abuzz
aby
Abysm
Abysmal
Abysmally
Abyss
Abyssal

# A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z