# abuse

Pronunciation: say "uh-BYOOS" US /əˈbjus/, UK /əˈbjuːs/

## Noun

1. Cruel or violent treatment of a person or animal, often repeated, that causes physical or emotional harm.
   - Simple: Cruel or violent treatment that hurts a person or animal in body or mind.
   - _Police removed the child from a home where physical abuse was common._
   - _The shelter cares for animals that have suffered abuse and neglect._
2. Wrongful or improper use of something, or use of it for a wrong purpose; also an unjust or corrupt practice.
   - Simple: Using something in a wrong or unfair way, or a dishonest practice.
   - _The report documented widespread abuse of public funds._
   - _Abuse of the appeals process clogs the courts with frivolous claims._
4. Sexual activity forced on another person or imposed on someone who cannot consent, often repeatedly.
   - Simple: Sexual acts forced on someone, or done to someone who cannot agree, like a child.
   - _The inquiry uncovered years of abuse in which staff forced themselves on residents._
   - _Survivors of sexual abuse often carry the trauma for decades._
7. Coarse, insulting language that attacks or vilifies someone.
   - Simple: Rude, insulting words said to hurt or anger someone.
   - _Players are warned that racist abuse will lead to a lifetime ban._
   - _The official endured constant abuse online after the controversial vote._

## Verb

Pronunciation: say "uh-BYOOZ" US /əˈbjuz/, UK /əˈbjuːz/

3. To injure or treat someone with cruelty, especially over and over.
   - Simple: To hurt or treat someone in a cruel way, often again and again.
   - _The guards abused prisoners for years without facing any consequences._
   - _Caretakers who abuse the people they look after must be reported._
5. To put something to a wrong use, or to apply it improperly for a wrong purpose.
   - Simple: To use something in a wrong or harmful way.
   - _The manager abused his authority to silence critics._
   - _Politicians who abuse their position quickly lose public trust._
6. To take a drug improperly, in larger doses than prescribed or for recreation.
   - Simple: To take a drug in a harmful way, such as too much or just for fun.
   - _Teenagers who abuse stimulants risk serious heart damage._
   - _She had abused sleeping pills for years before seeking help._
9. To attack someone with coarse, insulting language; to revile or disparage.
   - Simple: To say rude, insulting things to or about someone.
   - _Protesters abused the officers as they passed._
   - _Commentators who abuse public figures often hide behind anonymity._
8. To rape or sexually violate someone; in archaic use, with oneself as the object, to masturbate.
   - Simple: To force sexual acts on a person, or in older use, to touch oneself sexually.
   - _Investigators say the man used his job at the school to sexually abuse several students over many years._
   - _Moralists warned that a youth who abused himself in private would ruin his health._

## Noun

10. The improper or strained use of a word, especially a metaphor pushed past its proper sense. *(archaic)*
   - Simple: The wrong or strained use of a word.
11. A deception or delusion; a false impression deliberately created to mislead. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A trick, lie, or false idea meant to deceive people.

## Verb

Pronunciation: say "uh-BYOOZ" US /əˈbjuz/, UK /əˈbjuːz/

12. To deceive or trick someone, often by misusing the confidence they place in you. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To trick or fool someone who trusts you.
13. To misrepresent something, or to make it impure by adding inferior matter. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To present something falsely, or to spoil a product by mixing in cheaper matter.
14. To cease using something; to abandon a practice, custom, or object. *(obsolete, Scotland)*
   - Simple: To stop using something and let it fall out of use.

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 4, 7, 10–11** — From Middle English abusen, and ultimately from either Old French abus ('improper use') or Latin abūsus ('misused'), the participle of abūtor ('to make improper use of'), formed from ab ('away') plus ūtor ('to use').
**Meanings 3, 5–6, 8–9, 12–14** — Latin ab ('from, away from') and ūtor ('to use') formed abūtor ('to use up, misuse'), whose participle abūsus ('misused, used up') passed through Middle French abuser into Middle English as abusen.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/abuse (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).