MISUSE

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does misuse mean? 

• MISUSE (noun)
  The noun MISUSE has 1 sense:

1. improper or excessive use

  Familiarity information: MISUSE used as a noun is very rare.

• MISUSE (verb)
  The verb MISUSE has 2 senses:

1. apply to a wrong thing or person; apply badly or incorrectly

2. change the inherent purpose or function of something

  Familiarity information: MISUSE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• MISUSE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Improper or excessive use

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

abuse; misuse

Context example:

the abuse of public funds

Hypernyms ("misuse" is a kind of...):

employment; exercise; usage; use; utilisation; utilization (the act of using)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "misuse"):

drug abuse; habit; substance abuse (excessive use of drugs)

Derivation:

misuse (change the inherent purpose or function of something)

misuse (apply to a wrong thing or person; apply badly or incorrectly)

• MISUSE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they misuse ... he / she / it misuses
Past simple: misused   
Past participle: misused   
-ing form: misusing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Apply to a wrong thing or person; apply badly or incorrectly

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

misapply; misuse

Context example:

You are misapplying the name of this religious group

Hypernyms (to "misuse" is one way to...):

apply; employ; use; utilise; utilize (put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

misuse (improper or excessive use)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Change the inherent purpose or function of something

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

abuse; misuse; pervert

Context example:

The director of the factory misused the funds intended for the health care of his workers

Hypernyms (to "misuse" is one way to...):

expend; use (use up, consume fully)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "misuse"):

fracture (violate or abuse)

take in vain (use a name, such as God, without proper respect)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

misuse (improper or excessive use)

 Context examples 

A score equal to or greater than 9 indicates possible misuse.

(Current Opioid Misuse Measure Questionnaire, NCI Thesaurus)

Test names of questionnaire questions associated with the current opioid misuse measure (COMM) for the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) Standard Data Tabulation Model (SDTM).

(CDISC Questionnaire COMM Test Name Terminology, NCI Thesaurus)

The law also includes standards for setting up secure electronic health records and to protect the privacy of a person’s health information and to keep it from being misused.

(Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, NCI Dictionary)

Risk factors include smoking, having certain genetic conditions, and misusing pain medicines for a long time.

(Kidney Cancer, NIH: National Cancer Institute)

“Nay, nay, no one has misused me,” he answered.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Test codes of questionnaire questions associated with the current opioid misuse measure (COMM) for the Clinical Data Interchange Standards Consortium (CDISC) Standard Data Tabulation Model (SDTM).

(CDISC Questionnaire COMM Test Code Terminology, NCI Thesaurus)

Prolonged use of opioids can produce tolerance and introduces the risk of misuse.

(Chemical from cactus-like plant shows promise in controlling surgical pain, while leaving touch and coordination intact, National Institutes of Health)

Dr Guo said while it was well-known the overuse and misuse of antibiotics could create 'superbugs', researchers were unaware that other chemicals could also induce antibiotic resistance until now.

(Toothpaste and Hand Wash Are Causing Antibiotic Resistance, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

With chronic alcohol misuse, the levels and types of bacteria in the gut microbiota change which contributes along with other factors to alcohol-associated liver diseases such as alcoholic hepatitis.

(Bacteriophage therapy may ease severity of alcoholic hepatitis, National Institutes of Health)

However, widespread use (and misuse) of the drugs has led some bacteria to develop resistance, making the medicines less effective.

(Widely-available antibiotics could be used in the treatment of ‘superbug’ MRSA, University of Cambridge)