cruel or inhumane treatment
"the child showed signs of physical abuse"
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"
Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom.
"The factory was shut down after inspectors discovered the severe abuse of hazardous chemicals in their waste disposal system."
In plain English: Abuse is the act of hurting someone physically, emotionally, or verbally without any good reason.
"The police investigated reports of child abuse in the orphanage."
Usage: Use "abuse" as a noun to describe the improper treatment of someone or something, such as the physical mistreatment of an animal or the wasteful use of resources. It refers specifically to harmful actions or unethical practices rather than mere criticism or disagreement.
use foul or abusive language towards
"The actress abused the policeman who gave her a parking ticket"
"The angry mother shouted at the teacher"
use wrongly or improperly or excessively
"Her husband often abuses alcohol"
"while she was pregnant, she abused drugs"
To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to use improperly; to misuse; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert
"The hackers abused the software's security feature by using it to bypass password protection instead of fixing vulnerabilities."
In plain English: To abuse someone means to treat them badly, hurtfully, or unfairly.
"He was fired from his job after he abused his power to fire anyone without cause."
Usage: Use "abuse" to describe the improper or harmful application of something, such as abusing one's power or abusing a system. Avoid using it simply to mean general misuse unless the usage causes damage or violates intended rules.
The word "abuse" entered English from Middle English abusen, likely borrowed from the Old French term for "improper use." Its ultimate roots lie in Latin, where it originally described the act of making improper or excessive use of something.