misuse

misuse — noun

1. a situation where something is put to an unsuitable, harmful, or dishonest use,

1.nounB2
Definition

a situation where something is put to an unsuitable, harmful, or dishonest use, often with negative results.

Example

The misuse of company funds led to a full investigation by the board.

pattern: misuse of [funds / resources]

Lucía's report examined the widespread misuse of antibiotics on farms.

Common collocations
  • misuse of power
  • misuse of funds
  • misuse of drugs
  • misuse of data
  • misuse of authority
  • serious misuse
  • widespread misuse
  • deliberate misuse
Synonyms
  • abuse

    stronger and more active — often implies deliberate harm or cruelty rather than just wrong use

  • misapplication

    more formal and narrower — focuses on using something in a way that does not fit its intended purpose

  • waste

    emphasises using too much or using something on things that are not important, rather than using it wrongly

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

misuse + of + noun phrase

Usage Note

Typically followed by 'of' to specify what is being used wrongly. Common in formal, legal, and journalistic writing. The plural form 'misuses' is rare but possible when referring to multiple instances.

Common Mistakes

She made a misuse of the new printer by pressing the wrong button.
She was accused of the misuse of company funds for personal shopping.
'misuse' implies a degree of wrongness or dishonesty, not a simple operating error.
The teacher misused the student for being late.
The teacher reported the misuse of school computers by students.
'misuse' applies to things (objects, resources, systems), not to how you treat people.

misuse — verb

Word family

  • misuser
    nounC1
  • misusable
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

'Misuse' and 'abuse' overlap in meaning, but 'abuse' carries a stronger sense of deliberate harm or cruelty. You can misuse a tool by accident, but abusing a person or substance implies an ongoing, damaging pattern. 'Misapply' is more technical and formal — it means using a rule, method, or label in a situation where it does not fit, such as misapplying a grammar rule. 'Waste' focuses on using too much of something or spending it on unimportant things, rather than using it wrongly. For example: 'She misused her expense account to buy gifts for friends.' would imply dishonest use, whereas 'She wasted her expense account on cheap souvenirs.' suggests poor judgement but no wrongdoing.

misuse ↗abuse ↗misapplywaste ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • a serious misuse of
  • an instance of misuse
  • the misuse of public money

Prepositions

Etymology

Old FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'misuse' comes from Old French 'mesuser' (to use wrongly), formed from 'mes-' (wrongly, badly) plus 'user' (to use). It entered English around the 1300s as 'misusen'. The prefix 'mis-' remains productive in English to create words with the sense of 'wrongly' or 'badly'.