missbrauchen: to abuse (in the sense of “misuse” or “cruelly misuse”; not in the sense of “insult”)
| Examples and Usage Notes | Mnemonics |
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Examples and Usage Notes:
- “Missbrauchen” means abuse in the sense of using something in a manner inconsistent with the intended use (for objects as well as things like power and wealth)
- “Missbrauchen” also means sexually abuse (especially children)
- “Abuse” in the sense of insult is beleidigen.
- “Missbrauchen” cannot be used to mean “overuse,” or “use carelessly and destructively.” You would use a descriptive phrase to convey this.
| Er missbraucht die Pillen. | He is abusing the pills. |
| Das Klonen könnte leicht missbraucht werden. | Cloning could easily be abused. |
| Wer Kinder missbraucht, muß lange ins Gefängnis. | Anyone who sexually abuses children hast to go to prison for a long time. |
| Hör auf, mich zu beleidigen! | Stop abusing me! |
| Der Kopierer ist kaputt, weil man ihn zu oft benutzt hat. | The copier is broken because it was abused [overused]. |
| Er geht mit seinen Sachen so brutal um, daß alles kaputtgeht. | He abuses his things so much [uses them so destructively], that they all break. |
Mnemonics
- “miss-” sounds like “mis-” as in “misuse“; you know “brauchen” means “to need,” but it also means “to use”; you could also notice that “brauchen” sounds a bit like “break,” and breaking something would perhaps be a way of misusing it…