What does abuse mean?
Abuse refers to the improper, cruel, or harmful treatment of a person, animal, or thing, whether through physical violence, emotional degradation, exploitation, or the wrongful exercise of power. It functions as both a noun ('the abuse continued for years') and a verb ('he abused his position'), with the noun stressed on the first syllable and the verb on the second. The word carries heavy connotations in contemporary English: phrases like 'child abuse', 'domestic abuse', and 'substance abuse' name serious social harms, while 'abuse of power' and 'abuse of trust' describe corruption of authority. A further sense covers insulting or vitriolic language, as in 'shouting abuse'. Derived forms include 'abusive', 'abusively', and 'abuser'. Because of its gravity, the word is rarely used lightly; writers typically reserve it for genuine wrongdoing rather than mere rough handling, where words like 'mistreat' or 'misuse' may be more proportionate.
The improper, cruel, or violent treatment of a person or animal; also the wrongful use of power, a right, or a substance.
"The charity works to protect children from abuse."
Pronounced /əˈbjuːs/, with stress on the first syllable.
To treat a person or animal cruelly or violently; to use power, a right, or a substance in a way that is wrong or harmful.
"Officials who abuse public funds will be prosecuted."
Pronounced /əˈbjuːz/, with stress on the second syllable.
The plural 'abuses' typically refers to multiple distinct instances or kinds of wrongdoing, often in formal or institutional contexts such as reports of human rights abuses.
"The inquiry uncovered widespread abuses across the prison system."
The noun and verb of 'abuse' are pronounced differently — AB-yooss versus uh-BYOOZ — a stress shift inherited straight from Latin.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of abuse
Abuse comes from the Latin verb abūtī, formed from ab- ('away from') plus ūtī ('to use'), literally meaning to use up or misuse. English adopted it via Old French in the late Middle Ages, initially meaning deception or misuse before extending to cruel treatment. It shares the Latin root ūtī with words such as 'usage', 'usury', and 'utility', all of which concern ways of using things.
Related word forms
How abuse is actually used
In modern usage, 'abuse' in the sense of mistreating people is strongly associated with serious social and legal contexts — child abuse, domestic abuse, sexual abuse — and should be used with care and gravity. The verb is stressed on the second syllable (/əˈbjuːz/) while the noun is stressed on the first (/əˈbjuːs/), with a corresponding /z/ versus /s/ consonant difference. In British English, 'a stream of abuse' commonly means insulting language rather than physical harm.
Easily confused with abuse
Misuse refers to using something incorrectly or for the wrong purpose, while abuse carries a stronger sense of harm, cruelty, or corruption.