ABUSE
What does "ABUSE" mean?
Cruel or harmful treatment of a person, or the wrong or excessive use of something.
Meanings
- Cruel, violent, or improper treatment of a person or animal. The hotline supports survivors of abuse.
- Misuse of something, such as a substance, power, or privilege. The report documented widespread abuse of public funds.
- Insulting or offensive language. The referee took a stream of abuse from the crowd.
- To treat cruelly, misuse, or insult (pronounced /ə'bjuːz/). Do not abuse the trust your readers place in you.
Word origin
From Latin 'abusus', past participle of 'abuti' ('to use up, misuse'), combining 'ab-' (away) and 'uti' (to use) - the same root as 'use' and 'utility'.
Remember it
The noun ABUSE ends in an 's' sound (/s/); the verb to abUSE ends in a 'z' sound (/z/) - misUSE the sounds and you abuse the word.
A little poem
A tool turned wrong against the hand it served,
a trust spent down to less than it deserved-
the wound is in the using, not the word.
tercet
Wordplay
- The dictionary says ABUSE is a noun and a verb - the only difference is whether you hiss it or buzz it.
What it teaches
Every gift carries its own abuse hidden inside it, like the misuse folded into the word 'use'.
Quick facts
What does ABUSE mean?
Cruel or harmful treatment of a person, or the wrong or excessive use of something.
Is ABUSE a valid word?
Yes — ABUSE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is ABUSE?
ABUSE has 5 letters and 2 syllables.
Where does ABUSE come from?
From Latin 'abusus', past participle of 'abuti' ('to use up, misuse'), combining 'ab-' (away) and 'uti' (to use) - the same root as 'use' and 'utility'.
What can ABUSE teach us?
Every gift carries its own abuse hidden inside it, like the misuse folded into the word 'use'.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.