“abusing” is a form of
abuse
UK /əˈbjuːs/ · US /əˈbjus/ noun, verb
Forms abuses abusing abused
- noun Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom. “human rights abuses”
- noun Misuse; improper use; perversion.
- noun (obsolete) A delusion; an imposture; misrepresentation; deception.
- noun Coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; language that unjustly or angrily vilifies. “children hurling abuse at each other”
- noun (now rare) Catachresis.
- noun Physical maltreatment; injury; cruel treatment.
- noun Violation; defilement; rape; forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another, often on a repeated basis.
- verb (transitive) To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to use improperly; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert “He abused his authority.”
- verb (transitive) To injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty, especially repeatedly.
- verb (transitive) To attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile; malign; to speak in an offensive manner to or about someone; to disparage.
- verb (transitive) To imbibe a drug for a purpose other than it was intended; to intentionally take more of a drug than was prescribed for recreational reasons; to take illegal drugs habitually.
- verb (transitive, archaic) To violate; defile; to rape; (reflexive) to masturbate.
- verb (transitive, obsolete) Misrepresent; adulterate.
- verb (transitive, obsolete) To deceive; to trick; to impose on; misuse the confidence of.
- verb (transitive, obsolete, Scotland) Disuse.
Synonyms
abusage invective contumely reproach scurrility insult opprobrium abusio maltreat injure annoy bewound damage damnify dere do damage to do for do ill do violence to forwork maltreatment ill-treatment ill-usage revilement vilification misuse mistreat ill-use step ill-treat
Etymology
From Middle English abusen, then from either Old French abus (“improper use”), or from Latin abūsus (“misused, using up”), perfect active participle of abūtor (“make improper use of, consume, abuse”), from ab (“away”) + ūtor (“to use”). Equivalent to ab- + use.
From Middle English abusen, from Middle French abuser, from Latin abūsus (“misused, using up”), perfect active participle of abūtor (“to use up, misuse, consume”), from ab (“from, away from”) + ūtor (“to use”).
Webster’s 1913
- 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.
- 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.
- noun 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.
- noun Physical ill treatment; injury. "Rejoice . . . at the abuse of Falstaff." Shak.
Etymology [F. abuser; L. abusus, p. p. of abuti to abuse, misuse; ab + uti to use. See Use.]
Etymology [F. abus, L. abusus, fr. abuti. See Abuse, v. t.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “abuse”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details