Definition of "abuse" in English

noun

1. Improper treatment or usage; application to a wrong or bad purpose; an unjust, corrupt or wrongful practice or custom.

   • human rights abuses
   • All abuse, whether physical, verbal, psychological or sexual, is bad.

2. Misuse; improper use; perversion.

3. (obsolete) A delusion; an imposture; misrepresentation; deception.

4. Coarse, insulting speech; abusive language; language that unjustly or angrily vilifies.

   • children hurling abuse at each other

5. (now rare) Catachresis.

6. Physical maltreatment; injury; cruel treatment.

7. Violation; defilement; rape; forcing of undesired sexual activity by one person on another, often on a repeated basis.

verb

1. (transitive) To put to a wrong use; to misapply; to use improperly; to use for a wrong purpose or end; to pervert

   • He abused his authority.

2. (transitive) To injure; to maltreat; to hurt; to treat with cruelty, especially repeatedly.

3. (transitive) To attack with coarse language; to insult; to revile; malign; to speak in an offensive manner to or about someone; to disparage.

   • So we were angered by this and we could not tolerate this one because prophet Mohammed has been abused so many times in this country. Awolowo abused him sometimes ago saying that he was more successful and popular that Mohammed and Jesus.

4. (transitive) To imbibe a drug for a purpose other than it was intended; to intentionally take more of a drug than was prescribed for recreational reasons; to take illegal drugs habitually.

5. (transitive, archaic) To violate; defile; to rape; (reflexive) to masturbate.

6. (transitive, obsolete) Misrepresent; adulterate.

7. (transitive, obsolete) To deceive; to trick; to impose on; misuse the confidence of.

   • 1651-2, Jeremy Taylor, "Sermon VI, The House of Feasting; or, The Epicures Measures", in The works of Jeremy Taylor, Volume 1, page 283 (1831), edited by Thomas Smart Hughes When Cyrus had espied Astyages and his fellows coming drunk from a banquet loaden with variety of follies and filthiness, their legs failing them, their eyes red and staring, cozened with a moist cloud and abused by a double object

8. (transitive, obsolete, Scotland) Disuse.