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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of abusing
The White House declined to comment on the allegations against former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, who stepped down last week after multiple allegations of abusing her position’s power, including having an affair with a subordinate and drinking alcohol on the job.
—
Ana Ceballos
follow, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Under the plan, FISA, which allows warrantless wiretapping of noncitizens, would be extended for three years, with new oversight guardrails and penalties for abusing the spy tool.
—Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 26 Apr. 2026
Taj Jackson has been a vocal defender of his uncle’s legacy and previously spoke out about the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, which centered on two individuals who had accused Michael Jackson of abusing them as children.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
The alleged final straw for Barisone was when Kanarek allegedly reported him to the Division of Child Protection and Permanency and accused him of abusing his fiancée's children, per claims made by his lawyer Jeffery Simms.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
The labor secretary had been the subject of multiple controversies—accused of abusing her power, having an affair with a subordinate, and drinking on the job.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
The Dems accuse Hegseth of starting an 'unauthorized' war, illegally targeting civilians, recklessly handling sensitive military information, obstructing Congress and abusing power.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
In 2023, 3-month-old Phoenix Castro died of a fentanyl overdose when she was sent home with her drug abusing father over objections from social workers.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
Clinicians aren’t abusing the IDR system.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 11 Apr. 2026
Ana Ceballos
follow, Los Angeles Times, 26 Apr. 2026
Under the plan, FISA, which allows warrantless wiretapping of noncitizens, would be extended for three years, with new oversight guardrails and penalties for abusing the spy tool.
—Hailey Bullis, The Washington Examiner, 26 Apr. 2026
Taj Jackson has been a vocal defender of his uncle’s legacy and previously spoke out about the 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland, which centered on two individuals who had accused Michael Jackson of abusing them as children.
—Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 22 Apr. 2026
The alleged final straw for Barisone was when Kanarek allegedly reported him to the Division of Child Protection and Permanency and accused him of abusing his fiancée's children, per claims made by his lawyer Jeffery Simms.
—Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 22 Apr. 2026
The labor secretary had been the subject of multiple controversies—accused of abusing her power, having an affair with a subordinate, and drinking on the job.
—Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 21 Apr. 2026
The Dems accuse Hegseth of starting an 'unauthorized' war, illegally targeting civilians, recklessly handling sensitive military information, obstructing Congress and abusing power.
—Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA Today, 16 Apr. 2026
In 2023, 3-month-old Phoenix Castro died of a fentanyl overdose when she was sent home with her drug abusing father over objections from social workers.
—Julia Prodis Sulek, Mercury News, 14 Apr. 2026
Clinicians aren’t abusing the IDR system.
—Torie Bosch, STAT, 11 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for abusing
Verb
-
Unfortunately, Trump’s bullying style of diplomacy does not engender a willingness by allies and friends to step forward and provide assistance to our efforts in Iran.—
Tom Jurkowsky,
Baltimore Sun,
25 Apr. 2026
-
His campaign is gaining momentum at a time when many of the administration’s steadfast Christian backers—alarmed by the president’s bullying campaign against Pope Leo XIV in recent weeks, among other heresies—have been rethinking their support.—
Elizabeth Bruenig,
The Atlantic,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Winger Xavi Simons’ anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injury will keep him out for some time, with striker Dominic Solanke also pulling up — albeit his ailment appears less serious — at Molineux to cast doubt over Spurs’ attacking firepower in the upcoming weeks.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
He was also found guilty of two counts of assault for attacking two other men with butcher knives.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And indeed recent reports suggest that some employees are sabotaging their companies’ AI rollouts by misusing AI tools, generating poor work to make AI appear ineffective, or outright refusing to employ the technology.—
Claire Zillman,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
-
According to the indictment, Van Dyke now faces counts of wire fraud, commodities fraud, misusing non-public government information and other charges.—
Bobby Allyn,
NPR,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
By the time Cale Makar picked up the puck on the offensive line, exploiting Taylor Ward in a mismatched one-on-one before sniping short side past Anton Forsberg, the impending sweep was clear.—
Peter Baugh,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
-
Bad actors are exploiting weaknesses government has known about for years.—
Darlene Mealy,
New York Daily News,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The coastal Georgia man arrested in 2018 and accused of torturing, killing and burying his two teenage children in the backyard of the family’s mobile home will spend the rest of his life behind bars after reaching a plea deal.—
Adam Van Brimmer,
AJC.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The briefing came days after Tierney secured a guilty plea from another Long Island serial killer, Rex Heuermann, who is expected to be sentenced in June after admitting to torturing and killing eight women.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar quickly responded on X, slamming his Ukrainian counterpart for conducting diplomacy on social media.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Trump’s remarks came hours after the first lady released a statement slamming Kimmel for the comment.—
Sydney Topf,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Sadie Benning and Michael Almereyda have found ghostly, evocative textures using Pixelvision, a Fisher-Price toy camera from the late 1980s.—
Dennis Lim,
The New York Review of Books,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Redick worked with James’ trainer Mike Mancias to ensure his 41-year-old star’s durability in the final aughts of the game – the four-time NBA MVP eventually playing a team-high 45 minutes while using any opportunity to sink to the floor for a breather.—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In their first public statement made outside the courtroom since Kohberger's arrest in December 2022, Kohberger's lawyers have accused a former defense expert, criminologist Brent Turvey, of violating a confidentiality agreement by speaking about the case.—
Michael Ruiz,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
-
Citizens for Positive Growth & Preservation since 2015 has filed three lawsuits against the city accusing Sacramento officials of violating CEQA.—
Stephen Hobbs,
Sacbee.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Abusing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/abusing. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
