ENGLISH
REFERENCE

abusing

v.
B2 Upper Intermediate US //əbˈjuzɪŋ// UK //ɐbjˈuːsɪŋ// abus·ing

v. to use something in a wrong or harmful way, or to treat someone with cruelty. It often refers to using power or substances incorrectly.

v. to use something to bad effect or for a bad purpose; to treat a person or animal with cruelty or violence. Often used in the context of substance misuse or the exploitation of power.


SIMPLE

He was accused of abusing his power as manager.

CONTEXTUAL

The investigation revealed that several high-ranking officials were abusing the company's expense account for personal travel.

COMPLEX

By systematically abusing the legal loopholes in the tax code, the corporation managed to avoid paying its fair share for over a decade.

Synonyms
Usage

The verb is transitive and requires a direct object.

Pitfall

abusing of the systemabusing the systemAbuse is a transitive verb and does not take the preposition 'of'.

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