abuse

abuse
    n 1: cruel or inhumane treatment; "the child showed signs of
         physical abuse" [syn: {maltreatment}, {ill-treatment},
         {ill-usage}, {abuse}]
    2: a rude expression intended to offend or hurt; "when a student
       made a stupid mistake he spared them no abuse"; "they yelled
       insults at the visiting team" [syn: {abuse}, {insult},
       {revilement}, {contumely}, {vilification}]
    3: improper or excessive use; "alcohol abuse"; "the abuse of
       public funds" [syn: {misuse}, {abuse}]
    v 1: treat badly; "This boss abuses his workers"; "She is always
         stepping on others to get ahead" [syn: {mistreat},
         {maltreat}, {abuse}, {ill-use}, {step}, {ill-treat}]
    2: change the inherent purpose or function of something; "Don't
       abuse the system"; "The director of the factory misused the
       funds intended for the health care of his workers" [syn:
       {pervert}, {misuse}, {abuse}]
    3: use foul or abusive language towards; "The actress abused the
       policeman who gave her a parking ticket"; "The angry mother
       shouted at the teacher" [syn: {abuse}, {clapperclaw},
       {blackguard}, {shout}]
    4: use wrongly or improperly or excessively; "Her husband often
       abuses alcohol"; "while she was pregnant, she abused drugs"
    

Abuse \A*buse"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Abused}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Abusing}.] [F. abuser; L. abusus, p. p. of abuti to abuse,
   misuse; ab + uti to use. See {Use}.]
   1. 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.
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            This principle (if one may so abuse the word) shoots
            rapidly into popularity.              --Froude.
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   2. 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.
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   3. To revile; to reproach coarsely; to disparage.
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            The . . . tellers of news abused the general.
                                                  --Macaulay.
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   4. To dishonor. "Shall flight abuse your name?" --Shak.
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   5. To violate; to ravish. --Spenser.
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   6. To deceive; to impose on. [Obs.]
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            Their eyes red and staring, cozened with a moist
            cloud, and abused by a double object. --Jer. Taylor.
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   Syn: To maltreat; injure; revile; reproach; vilify;
        vituperate; asperse; traduce; malign.
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Abuse \A*buse"\, n. [F. abus, L. abusus, fr. abuti. See {Abuse},
   v. t.]
   1. 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.
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            Liberty may be endangered by the abuses of liberty,
            as well as by the abuses of power.    --Madison.
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   2. Physical ill treatment; injury. "Rejoice . . . at the
      abuse of Falstaff." --Shak.
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   3. A corrupt practice or custom; offense; crime; fault; as,
      the abuses in the civil service.
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            Abuse after disappeared without a struggle..
                                                  --Macaulay.
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   4. Vituperative words; coarse, insulting speech; abusive
      language; virulent condemnation; reviling.
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            The two parties, after exchanging a good deal of
            abuse, came to blows.                 --Macaulay.
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   5. Violation; rape; as, abuse of a female child. [Obs.]
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            Or is it some abuse, and no such thing? --Shak.
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   {Abuse of distress} (Law), a wrongful using of an animal or
      chattel distrained, by the distrainer.
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   Syn: Invective; contumely; reproach; scurrility; insult;
        opprobrium.

   Usage: {Abuse}, {Invective}. Abuse is generally prompted by
          anger, and vented in harsh and unseemly words. It is
          more personal and coarse than invective. Abuse
          generally takes place in private quarrels; invective
          in writing or public discussions. Invective may be
          conveyed in refined language and dictated by
          indignation against what is blameworthy. --C. J.
          Smith.
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274 Moby Thesaurus words for "abuse":
      abuse of office, addiction, afflict, aggrieve, assail, assailing,
      assault, atrocity, attack, bark at, batter, befoul, befoulment,
      belittle, berate, berating, betongue, betray, betrayal, bewitch,
      billingsgate, bitter words, blacken, blackening, blackguard,
      blaspheme, bleed, bleed white, blight, bruise, buffet, call names,
      calumniate, calumniation, calumny, catachresis, censure, condemn,
      contumely, conversion, convert, corrupt, corrupt administration,
      corruption, criminal assault, crucify, curse, cursing, cuss out,
      damage, damn, debase, debasement, debauch, debauchment, deceive,
      decry, defalcate, defalcation, defamation, defame, defile,
      defilement, defloration, deflower, deflowering, dependence,
      deprave, deprecate, depreciate, derogate, desecrate, desecration,
      despoil, despoilment, destroy, detract from, diatribe,
      disadvantage, discount, disparage, dispraise, disserve, distress,
      diversion, divert, do a mischief, do evil, do ill, do violence to,
      do wrong, do wrong by, do wrong to, doom, drain, embezzle,
      embezzlement, envenom, epithet, epithetize, execrate, execration,
      exploit, fault, force, foul, fouling, fulminate against,
      get into trouble, harass, hard words, harm, hex, hurt, ill use,
      ill-treat, ill-treatment, ill-usage, ill-use, impair, impose,
      impose upon, imprecation, infect, injure, injury, insult,
      invective, jaw, jawing, jeremiad, jinx, knock about, lambaste,
      lead astray, libel, load with reproaches, make use of,
      maladminister, maladministration, malediction, malfeasance, malign,
      maligning, malpractice, maltreat, maltreatment, malversation,
      manhandle, manipulate, mar, masturbation, maul, menace, mess up,
      milk, minimize, misapplication, misapply, misappropriate,
      misappropriation, misconduct, misemploy, misemployment,
      misfeasance, mishandle, mishandling, mislead, mismanage,
      mismanagement, mistreat, mistreatment, misusage, misuse, molest,
      molestation, mud, objurgate, objurgation, obloquy, onslaught,
      oppress, opprobrium, outrage, peculate, peculation, persecute,
      perversion, pervert, philippic, pilfer, pilfering, play havoc with,
      play hob with, play on, poison, pollute, pollution,
      poor stewardship, prejudice, presume upon, priapism, profanation,
      profane, profanity, prostitute, prostitution, rag, rail at,
      railing, rape, rate, rating, ravage, rave against, ravish,
      ravishment, rebuke, reproach, revile, revilement, reviling, rough,
      rough up, ruin, savage, scathe, scold, scolding, screed,
      scurrility, seduce, seducement, seduction, self-abuse,
      sexual assault, slander, soil, spoil, stroke, suck dry, sully,
      swear, swear at, swearing, taint, take advantage of, threaten,
      thunder against, tirade, tongue-lash, tongue-lashing, torment,
      torture, traduce, upbraid, upbraiding, use, use ill, vilification,
      vilify, violate, violation, violence, vituperate, vituperation,
      work on, work upon, wound, wreak havoc on, write off, wrong,
      yell at, yelp at