mistreat

verb

mis·​treat ˌmis-ˈtrēt How to pronounce mistreat (audio)
mistreated; mistreating; mistreats

transitive verb

: to treat badly : abuse
mistreatment noun

Examples of mistreat in a Sentence

They accuse him of mistreating his wife. She claimed she had been mistreated by the police.
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
The remark was especially noteworthy since Breillat has been accused by two of her lead actresses, Caroline Ducey and Asia Argento, of mistreating them while filming explicit scenes. Victoria Uren, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025 Capturing soldiers is not technically a war crime, though mistreating them is, and experts in the rules around warfare agree that no grievance can justify holding anyone hostage, whether from civilian or military life. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 25 Jan. 2025 The pair allegedly mistreated four of the five children, all of whom are black. Landon Mion, Fox News, 22 Jan. 2025 With Richard Pryor, Yaphet Kotto, Harvey Keitel, Ed Begley, Jr. Paul Schrader’s directorial debut gave Richard Pryor and Yaphet Kotto two of their greatest roles, as Detroit auto workers who take matters into their own hands after being mistreated by both management and their Union bosses. Samantha Bergeson, IndieWire, 22 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for mistreat 

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of mistreat was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near mistreat

Cite this Entry

“Mistreat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mistreat. Accessed 30 Jan. 2025.

Kids Definition

mistreat

verb
mis·​treat (ˈ)mis-ˈtrēt How to pronounce mistreat (audio)
: to treat badly : abuse
mistreatment noun

More from Merriam-Webster on mistreat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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