misuse

1 of 2

verb

mis·use ˌmis-ˈyüz

misused; misusing; misuses

Synonyms of misuse next

transitive verb

: to use incorrectly : misapply

misused his talents

a word that is frequently misused

: abuse, mistreat

… their prisoner had the heavy task of receiving their insolence as wit, answering their insults with good-humour, and withholding from them the opportunity which they sought of engaging him in a quarrel, that they might have a pretence for misusing him.—

Sir Walter Scott

misuser noun

plural misusers

misuse

2 of 2

noun

mis·use ˌmis-ˈyüs

: incorrect or improper use : misapplication

Examples of misuse in a Sentence

Verb She's charged with misusing company funds. a word that is frequently misused Noun No refunds will be offered on products damaged by misuse. the warranty for this dryer is null and void if you subject the product to deliberate misuse

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

As part of her ruling, Cannon also said Trump’s defense lawyers were entitled to a hearing on whether prosecutors had misused statements by one of Trump’s former lawyers. —

Perry Stein, Washington Post, 27 June 2024 Estrella is well aware of the dangers of misusing traditional medicines. —

Food Drink Life, The Mercury News, 22 June 2024

Noun

Bush is presently under investigation for misuse of campaign funds. —

Lloyd Green, New York Daily News, 27 June 2024 Deepfakes come in various flavors, but their most common misuse is to impersonate politicians and celebrities, according to new research from DeepMind and Google's Jigsaw. —

Joe Hindy, PCMAG, 25 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for misuse

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'misuse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, partly from mis- + usen to use; partly from Middle French mesuser to abuse, from Old French, from mes- + user to use

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of misuse was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Misuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/misuse. Accessed 15 Jul. 2024.

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Kids Definition

misuse

1 of 2 verb

mis·use mish-ˈüz

(ˈ)mish-ˈyüz,

(ˈ)mis-ˈyüz

: to use incorrectly : misapply

: abuse entry 1 sense 2, mistreat

misusage

-ˈ(y)ü-sij

-zij

noun

misuse

2 of 2 noun

mis·use mish-ˈüs

(ˈ)mish-ˈyüs,

(ˈ)mis-ˈyüs

: incorrect or improper use

Last Updated: 5 Jul 2024 - Updated example sentences

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misuse

verb

noun

Synonyms

Examples of misuse in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near misuse

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition