abuse

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Pronunciation[change]

noun
verb

Noun[change]

Singular
abuse

Plural
abuses

  1. (uncountable) Abuse is touching or acting towards someone in a way that will likely hurt them.
    The girls suffered terrible physical and sexual abuse from their father.
  2. (countable & uncountable) An abuse is an act of using something in the wrong way.

Synonyms[change]

Verb[change]

Plain form
abuse

Third-person singular
abuses

Past tense
abused

Past participle
abused

Present participle
abusing

  1. (transitive) If you abuse something, you misuse it; you use something improperly.
  2. (transitive) If you abuse something, you injure it; you hurt it; you treat it with cruelty or damage it.
  3. (transitive) If you abuse somebody, you rape them; you assault them.
  4. (transitive) If you abuse somebody, you berate them; you insult or revile them.
    Child abuse is prohibited in America.

Related words[change]