verb

misuse

to misuse, to abuse, to misapply

He misused his authority.

He misused his authority.

Do not misuse the equipment.

Do not misuse the equipment.

((sth.)) to use (sth.) incorrectly or for a wrong purpose He misused his authority.

Synonyms: abuse, misapply, exploit; Antonyms: use correctly, respect

From the prefix 'mis-' (wrong, bad) and the word 'use'. Literally 'to use wrongly'.

Think of it as 'missing the correct use' of something. You've missed the point of how to use it.

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.