v. 1 misuse, misemploy, pervert, misapply, exploit The officer abused his authority in ordering the forced march at midnight 2 maltreat, ill-use, injure, wrong, hurt, mistreat, manhandle, ill-treat; damage I cannot stand by and watch that drunk abuse his wife and family 3 malign, revile, censure, upbraid, assail, objurgate, lambaste, berate, rebuke, scold, reproach, disparage, traduce, defame, insult, swear at, curse (at), calumniate, slander, libel, decry, deprecate, vilify, rail against In the report the director was abused in the most virulent terms
n. 4 misuse, misusage, misemployment, perversion, misapplication, misappropriation, Rhetoric catachresis Beware of imitating his abuse of the language 5 addiction, dependence They are being treated for drug abuse at the local clinic 6 maltreatment, ill-treatment, ill use, fault It seemed perfectly natural that he should defend abuses by which he profited 7 self-abuse, self-pollution, masturbation, violation, defilement; corruption The schoolmasters consistently lectured the boys against any abuse of themselves 8 revilement, reviling, execration, vituperation, malediction, imprecation, tongue-lashing, calumny, calumniation, vilification, obloquy, scurrility, invective, maligning, upbraiding, berating, objurgation, scolding; billingsgate The two parties, after exchanging a good deal of abuse, came to blows