abuse

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To use wrongly or improperly; misuse: abuse alcohol; abuse a privilege.
2. v. To hurt or injure by maltreatment; ill-use.
3. v. To force sexual activity on; rape or molest.
4. v. To assail with contemptuous, coarse, or insulting words; revile.
5. v. Obsolete To deceive or trick.
6. n. Improper use or handling; misuse: abuse of authority; drug abuse.
7. n. Physical maltreatment: spousal abuse.
8. n. Sexual abuse.
9. n. An unjust or wrongful practice: a government that commits abuses against its citizens.
10. n. Insulting or coarse language: verbal abuse.
11. idiom. abuse oneself Vulgar To masturbate.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To use ill; misuse; put to a wrong or bad use; divert from the proper use; misapply: as, to abuse rights or privileges; to abuse words.
2. To do wrong to; act injuriously toward; injure; disgrace; dishonor.
3. To violate; ravish; defile. To attack with contumelious language; revile. To deceive; impose on; mislead.
4. Synonyms To Abuse, Misuse, misapply, misemploy, pervert, profane. Abuse and misuse are closely synonymous terms, but misuse conveys more particularly the idea of using inappropriately, abuse that of treating injuriously. In general, abuse is the stronger word.
5. To maltreat, ill-use, injure. To revile, reproach, vilify, rate, berate, vituperate, rail at.
6. n. Ill use; improper treatment or employment; application to a wrong purpose; improper use or application: as, an abuse of our natural powers; an abuse of civil rights, or of religious privileges; abuse of advantages; abuse of words.
7. n. Ill treatment of a person; injury; insult; dishonor; especially, ill treatment in words; contumelious language.
8. n. A corrupt practice or custom; an offense; a crime; a fault: as, the abuses of government.
9. n. Violation; defilement: as, self-abuse. Deception.
10. n. Abuse, Invective, maltreatment, outrage; vituperation, contumely, scolding, reviling, aspersion, slander, obloquy. (See invective.) “ Abuse as compared with invective is more personal and coarse, being conveyed in harsh and unseemly terms, and dictated by angry feeling and bitter temper. Invective is more commonly aimed at character or conduct, and may be conveyed in writing and in refined language, and dictated by indignation against what is in itself blameworthy. It often, however, means public abuse under such restraints as are imposed by position and education.”

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. 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; ; to make an excessive use of.
2. v. To use ill; to maltreat; to act injuriously to; to punish or to tax excessively; to hurt.
3. v. To revile; to reproach coarsely; to disparage.
4. v. To dishonor.
5. v. To violate; to ravish.
6. v. obsolete To deceive; to impose on.
7. n. Improper treatment or use; application to a wrong or bad purpose; misuse.
8. n. Physical ill treatment; injury.
9. n. A corrupt practice or custom; offense; crime; fault.
10. n. Vituperative words; coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; virulent condemnation; reviling.
11. n. obsolete Violation; rape.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. a rude expression intended to offend or hurt
2. v. use wrongly or improperly or excessively
3. v. change the inherent purpose or function of something
4. v. use foul or abusive language towards
5. n. improper or excessive use
6. n. cruel or inhumane treatment
7. v. treat badly