Abusing - English meaning

phrase

If a person, especially a child, calls someone names, they address that person with a name that is intended to be offensive

Usage examples:

Tom's worried that if he wears glasses at school the other children will call him names., at school…

verb

Cause (light or shadow) to appear on a surface.

Usage examples:

The moon cast a pale light over the cottages

noun

Throw the hooked and baited end of (a fishing line) out into the water.

verb

The actors taking part in a play, film, or other production.

Usage examples:

He draws sensitive performances from his inexperienced cast

verb

Reprimand (someone) severely.

Usage examples:

He was castigated for not setting a good example

verb

To criticize someone or something severely

Usage examples:

Health inspectors castigated the kitchen staff for poor standards of cleanliness.

noun

A solemn utterance intended to invoke a supernatural power to inflict harm or punishment on someone or something.

Usage examples:

She'd put a curse on him

verb

An offensive word or phrase used to express anger or annoyance.

Usage examples:

At every blow there was a curse

verb

To say rude or offensive words about something or someone because you are angry

Usage examples:

[ i ] no coach is allowed to curse at or lay a hand on a player., if we don't do something about th…

verb

Make full use of and derive benefit from (a resource).

Usage examples:

500 companies sprang up to exploit this new technology

noun

A bold or daring feat.

Usage examples:

Despite a series of colourful exploits, his agents obtained little intelligence of value

noun

A brave, interesting, or unusual act

Usage examples:

Daredevil exploits, he is not content to limit himself to his exploits on the basketball court., th…

verb

To treat someone badly, especially by being violent or by not taking care of them

Usage examples:

The child had been severely ill-treated by his parents.

verb

Dispute the truth, validity, or honesty of (a statement or motive); call into question.

Usage examples:

The father does not impugn her capacity as a good mother

verb

Speak to or treat with disrespect or scornful abuse.

Usage examples:

You're insulting the woman i love

noun

A disrespectful or scornfully abusive remark or act.

Usage examples:

He hurled insults at us

verb

To act in a way or say something that is offensive or rude to someone

Usage examples:

Don’t insult me just because i can’t dance., an insulting remark, offering me so little money was a…

phrasal verb

Travel without a specific purpose.

Usage examples:

For a couple of years she and i knocked around the mediterranean

phrasal verb

Injure or damage someone or something by rough treatment.

Usage examples:

The first couple of rounds of treatment knocked me around a bit

phrasal verb

To spend time relaxing and doing very little

Usage examples:

I spent the weekend just knocking around the house., i used to knock around with him at school., i'…

noun

A published false statement that is damaging to a person's reputation; a written defamation.

Usage examples:

He was found guilty of a libel on a liverpool inspector of taxes

verb

Defame (someone) by publishing a libel.

Usage examples:

The jury found that he was libelled by a newspaper

noun

A piece of writing that says bad, false, and harmful things about a person, or the legal claim you make when you accuse someone in court of writing such things about you

Usage examples:

[ c ] the whole story was a vicious libel., [ u ] angry at what the newspaper had printed, she sued…

verb

Treat (a person or animal) cruelly or with violence.

Usage examples:

Children die from neglect or are maltreated by their carers

verb

To treat someone cruelly or violently

Usage examples:

He had been badly maltreated as a child.

verb

Move (a heavy object) by hand with great effort.

Usage examples:

Men used to manhandle the piano down the stairs

verb

To handle someone with force or push someone around, often when taking the person somewhere

Usage examples:

Security guards had manhandled some of the fans.

verb

(of an animal) wound (a person or animal) by scratching and tearing.

Usage examples:

A man was mauled by a lion at london zoo

noun

(in rugby union) a loose scrum formed around a player with the ball off the ground.

Usage examples:

The grounding of the ball in a driven maul satisfied the touch judge, but not the referee, and anot…

verb

Injure badly

verb

Use (something) for the wrong purpose or in the wrong way.

Usage examples:

Once new technology is adopted, it is often underused or misapplied

verb

To use something in a way that is wrong or illegal

Usage examples:

The trader pleaded guilty to misapplying millions of dollars and falsifying records., did the depar…

verb

Employ or use (something) wrongly or improperly.

Usage examples:

You misemploy the term ‘celibate’

verb

To employ a worker in a way that is not right or useful

Usage examples:

Why do people stay in their current situation if they are misemployed?, the person is misemployed i…

verb

Manage or deal with (something) wrongly or ineffectively.

Usage examples:

The officer had mishandled the situation

verb

To deal with something without the necessary care or skill

Usage examples:

The administration completely mishandled this incident.

verb

Treat (a person or animal) badly, cruelly, or unfairly.

Usage examples:

He denied mistreating his workers

verb

Use (something) in the wrong way or for the wrong purpose.

Usage examples:

He was found guilty of misusing public funds

noun

The wrong or improper use of something.

Usage examples:

Drugs of such potency that their misuse can have dire consequences

verb

To use something in an unsuitable way or in a way that was not intended

Usage examples:

She’s been accused of misusing federal funds to pay for her son’s private school expenses., [ c ] t…

verb

Assault or abuse (a person, especially a woman or child) sexually.

Usage examples:

He was charged with molesting and taking obscene photographs of a ten-year-old boy

verb

Harass or assault sexually; make indecent advances to

verb

To touch someone sexually when it is not wanted

Usage examples:

Allegations (= accusations) of drug abuse and child molestation., a child molester

verb

Distort or corrupt the original course, meaning, or state of (something).

Usage examples:

He was charged with conspiring to pervert the course of justice

noun

A person whose sexual behaviour is regarded as abnormal and unacceptable.

verb

To change something from its correct use or original purpose

Usage examples:

These journalists are perverting the news., the will of the people is being perverted by their elec…

verb

Express sharp disapproval or criticism of (someone) because of their behaviour or actions.

Usage examples:

She had rebuked him for drinking too much

noun

An expression of sharp disapproval or criticism.

Usage examples:

He hadn't meant it as a rebuke, but neil flinched

verb

To criticize someone strongly because you disapprove of what the person has said or done

Usage examples:

He was publicly rebuked for his involvement in the scandal., [ c ] a sharp rebuke

verb

Reprimand (someone).

Usage examples:

He was reproved for obscenity

verb

To tell someone that you disapprove of their bad or silly behaviour

Usage examples:

The teacher gently reproved the boys for not paying attention.

verb

Criticize in an abusive or angrily insulting manner.

Usage examples:

He was now reviled by the party that he had helped to lead

verb

Remonstrate with or rebuke (someone) angrily.

Usage examples:

Mum took anna away, scolding her for her bad behaviour

noun

A person who nags or grumbles constantly (typically used of a woman).

Usage examples:

His mother was the village scold

verb

Censure severely or angrily

adverb

In a way that relates to the instincts, physiological processes, and activities connected with physical attraction or intimate physical contact between individuals.

Usage examples:

I'm sexually attracted to powerful people

adverb

In a way that relates to the activity of sex

Usage examples:

The research focused on sexually mature birds., three women in the neighborhood were sexually assau…

noun

The action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation.

Usage examples:

He is suing the tv company for slander

verb

Make false and damaging statements about (someone).

Usage examples:

They were accused of slandering the head of state

noun

A false, spoken statement about someone which damages that person's reputation, or the making of such a statement

Usage examples:

[ u ] political campaigns are full of shameless slander., her statement was not meant to slander an…

verb

Speak (words) indistinctly so that the sounds run into one another.

Usage examples:

He was slurring his words like a drunk

noun

An insinuation or allegation about someone that is likely to insult them or damage their reputation.

Usage examples:

The comments were a slur on staff at the hospital

verb

To pronounce the sounds of a word in a way that is wrong or not clear

Usage examples:

Her speech was slurred but she still denied she was drunk.

verb

Coat or mark (something) messily or carelessly with a greasy or sticky substance.

Usage examples:

His face was smeared with dirt

noun

A mark or streak of a greasy or sticky substance.

Usage examples:

There was an oil smear on his jacket

verb

Smudge or soil by smudging

idiom

To use an opportunity to achieve results, sometimes in an unfair way

Usage examples:

Let’s take advantage of the good weather and go to the beach., don't you realize that he's taking a…

phrase

To use the good things in a situation

Usage examples:

I thought i'd take advantage of the sports facilities while i'm here., i took advantage of my boss'…

phrase

To treat someone badly in order to get something good from them

Usage examples:

I think she takes advantage of his good nature., i know she's offered to babysit, but i don't want …

noun

A remark made in order to anger, wound, or provoke someone.

Usage examples:

Pupils will play truant rather than face the taunts of classmates about their ragged clothes

verb

Provoke or challenge (someone) with insulting remarks.

Usage examples:

Pupils began taunting her about her weight

verb

Harass with persistent criticism or carping

verb

Find fault with (someone); scold.

Usage examples:

He was upbraided for his slovenly appearance

verb

Speak or write about in an abusively disparaging manner.

Usage examples:

He has been vilified in the press

verb

To say or write unpleasant things about someone or something, in order to cause other people to have a bad opinion of that person or thing

Usage examples:

He claimed he was unfairly vilified by the press.