maltreating

verb

present participle of maltreat
1
as in abusing
to inflict physical or emotional harm upon a manager fired for maltreating the staff with needless insults a home for children who have been deprived and maltreated

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in attacking
to abuse physically if you maltreat the puppy, we will take it away immediately

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for maltreating
  1. abusing
  2. attacking
  3. torturing
  4. ambushing
  5. bullying
  6. manhandling
  7. mistreating
  8. mauling
Verb
  • Berry’s ex-husband Olivier Martinez accused the actor of physically abusing their 12-year-old son last month.
    — Alexandra Del Rosario, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
  • As reports of officers abusing Flock have made headlines and the company has become increasingly controversial, hundreds of cities and counties have ended or suspended their contracts with the company, or decided not to renew them.
    — Greg Rosalsky, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of abusing
Verb
  • Murtis of the goddess Durga depict her astride a lion and attacking Mahishasura.
    — Tamanna Nangia, Encyclopedia Britannica, 5 Oct. 2026
  • The president appeared to be attacking Andrews, a biological woman, over her alleged support of gender transitions for minors and transgender athletes in women’s sports.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of attacking
Verb
  • In 1996, Pike was found guilty of first-degree murder for beating, torturing and killing Slemmer, a fellow Jobs Corps worker, in a remote area of the University of Tennessee Agricultural campus.
    — Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • In 1995, Christa Pike confessed to murdering and torturing her classmate Colleen Slemmer.
    — Robert Gebelhoff, Washington Post, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of torturing
Verb
  • Hansen, who left NBC in 2013 but remains a leader in the pervert-ambushing space, has spoken about having considered a sting operation against Jeffrey Epstein in 2015.
    — Justin Chang, New Yorker, 25 Sep. 2026
  • However, officials have yet to determine exactly what type of animal is ambushing the unsuspecting humans.
    — Julia Gomez, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of ambushing
Verb
  • Concerns over bullying on campus, as well as a lack of security, have also been raised.
    — Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Grande had been the subject of a wave of speculation, concern and bullying regarding her physical appearance following images of the actress-singer going viral in late July.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of bullying
Verb
  • Hours later, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, announced the suspension of Acosta’s press pass, and, for good measure, falsely accused him of manhandling the aide who wanted the mike back.
    — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 22 Sep. 2026
  • Ashley Delaney of Polk City, who has served on the district's board since 2024, was charged in May with misdemeanor assault for allegedly manhandling the student.
    — William Morris, Des Moines Register, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of manhandling
Verb
  • Ever since these rideshare companies began in the early 2010s, they have been scrutinized for underpaying and mistreating drivers.
    — Cyrus Farivar, ArsTechnica, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Even more consequentially, some jihadi groups turned Muslim publics against them by mistreating Muslim civilians.
    — Daniel Byman, Foreign Affairs, 8 Sep. 2026
Definition of mistreating
Verb
  • At the time, Guilfoyle was an assistant DA in San Francisco prosecuting a high-profile dog-mauling case and making the rounds on cable news.
    — Joe Hagan, Vanity Fair, 30 Sep. 2026
  • While the left guard competition remains open, Jones has been on the first string for over a week since replacing Connor Colby, and Jones stood out with an aggressive, mauling nature against the Titans.
    — Cam Inman, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of mauling
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

maltreated
maltreating
maltreatment
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Cite this Entry

“Maltreating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/maltreating. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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