Definitions for abuse
əˈbyuz; əˈbyusabuse

Princeton's WordNet(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. maltreatment, ill-treatment, ill-usage, abuse(noun)

   cruel or inhumane treatment

   "the child showed signs of physical abuse"

2. abuse, insult, revilement, contumely, vilification(noun)

   a rude expression intended to offend or hurt

   "when a student made a stupid mistake he spared them no abuse"; "they yelled insults at the visiting team"

3. misuse, abuse(verb)

   improper or excessive use

   "alcohol abuse"; "the abuse of public funds"

4. mistreat, maltreat, abuse, ill-use, step, ill-treat(verb)

   treat badly

   "This boss abuses his workers"; "She is always stepping on others to get ahead"

5. pervert, misuse, abuse(verb)

   change the inherent purpose or function of something

   "Don't abuse the system"; "The director of the factory misused the funds intended for the health care of his workers"

6. abuse, clapperclaw, blackguard, shout(verb)

   use foul or abusive language towards

   "The actress abused the policeman who gave her a parking ticket"; "The angry mother shouted at the teacher"

7. abuse(verb)

   use wrongly or improperly or excessively

   "Her husband often abuses alcohol"; "while she was pregnant, she abused drugs"

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Abuse(verb)

   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

2. Abuse(verb)

   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

3. Abuse(verb)

   to revile; to reproach coarsely; to disparage

4. Abuse(verb)

   to dishonor

5. Abuse(verb)

   to violate; to ravish

6. Abuse(verb)

   to deceive; to impose on

7. Abuse(verb)

   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

8. Abuse(verb)

   physical ill treatment; injury

9. Abuse(verb)

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

10. Abuse(verb)

    vituperative words; coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; virulent condemnation; reviling

11. Abuse(verb)

    violation; rape; as, abuse of a female child

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Abuse

   Abuse is the improper usage or treatment of an entity, often to unfairly or improperly gain benefit. Abuse can come in many forms, such as: physical or verbal maltreatment, injury, sexual assault, violation, rape, unjust practices; wrongful practice or custom; offense; crime, or otherwise verbal aggression.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Abuse

   ab-ūz′, v.t. to use wrongly: to pervert: to revile: to violate.—ns. Abuse (ab-ūs′), ill use: misapplication: reproach: vituperation; Abū′sion (Spens.), abuse: deception: reproach.—adj. Abus′ive, containing or practising abuse: full of abuses: vituperative.—adv. Abus′ively.—n. Abus′iveness. [L. ab, away (from what is right), uti, usus, to use.]

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'abuse' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #3044

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'abuse' in Written Corpus Frequency: #3063

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'abuse' in Nouns Frequency: #1191

4. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'abuse' in Verbs Frequency: #989

Anagrams for abuse »

1. Beaus

How to pronounce abuse?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

How to say abuse in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of abuse in Chaldean Numerology is: 8

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of abuse in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3

Examples of abuse in a Sentence

1. Thomas Burr:

   Turkey’s leader and his security team are guests in the United States, they have no right to lay their hands on reporters or protesters or anyone else for that matter ... Erdogan doesn’t get to export such abuse.

2. William Waldman:

   One of the issues that drives abuse and neglect is stress, everybody's stressed out now.

3. Beverly Johnson:

   I am aware of the statements from Bill Cosby, in cases of rape and abuse, abusers will do whatever they can to intimidate and weaken their victims to force them to stop fighting. I ask for your support of all of the victims involved.

4. Christina Mair:

   It's unclear if the marijuana dispensaries are simply locating in neighborhoods that tend to be more disadvantaged and already have underlying problems with marijuana abuse, or if the presence of the dispensaries is causing an increase in abuse and hospitalizations.

5. Terry Crews:

   This is how toxic masculinity permeates culture, as I shared my story, I was told over and over that this was not abuse. This was just a joke. This was just horseplay. But I can say one man’s horseplay is another man’s humiliation. And I chose to tell my story and share my experience to stand in solidarity with millions of other survivors around the world. That I know how hard it is to come forward, I know the shame associated with the assault. It happened to me.

Images & Illustrations of abuse

Popularity rank by frequency of use