abuse of + noun
Describing misuse or harmful treatment
Use abuse of for power, authority, drugs, alcohol, or people.
The court condemned the abuse of authority.
Prepositions used with abuse
Abuse commonly takes of to identify what is misused. Other prepositions appear in related expressions with different meanings.
Quick answer
Which prepositions are used with abuse?
Use abuse of for misuse or harmful treatment. From abuse describes protection or recovery. Abuse in appears in fixed contexts such as abuse in sport. Abuse to is uncommon as a direct noun pattern.
The report exposed the abuse of power.
Children need protection from abuse.
The organisation investigated abuse in care homes.
Children need protection from abuse.
The organisation investigated abuse in care homes.
Choose the pattern by meaning
These forms are not interchangeable. Choose the construction by meaning, not by which preposition appears most often.
from abuse
Talking about protection or recovery
From abuse often follows words such as protection, recovery, or escape.
The shelter offers safety from abuse.
abuse in + place/system
Locating abusive behaviour
Use abuse in when referring to abuse occurring within an institution or environment.
Investigators uncovered abuse in the prison system.
for abuse
Indicating purpose or risk
For abuse usually depends on another noun, such as potential for abuse.
Doctors warned about the potential for abuse of the medication.
See the difference in context
The same subject can take different constructions because each sentence answers a different question.
Construction
Example
Meaning
abuse of
The article discussed abuse of power.
Misuse or harmful treatment involving something or someone.
from abuse
Victims need protection from abuse.
Freedom or safety from abusive behaviour.
abuse in
The inquiry examined abuse in schools.
Abuse occurring within a place or system.
for abuse
There is concern about the potential for abuse.
A risk that something may be misused.
abuse to
They objected to abuse of public funds.
To usually belongs to another word such as objected, not directly to abuse.
Common mistakes
Some combinations appear in real text but do not mean what learners often assume.
Using abuse to as a fixed noun pattern
Abuse is not normally followed directly by to.
✕ abuse to children ✓ abuse of childrenConfusing abuse of and abuse in
Of identifies what is abused; in identifies where abuse happens.
✕ abuse in power ✓ abuse of powerUsing for abuse without context
For abuse usually depends on another noun.
✓ The software has potential for abuse.Using from abuse as the main complement
From abuse normally follows words like protection or recovery.
✓ The charity protects children from abuse.Quick practice
Choose the expression that matches the intended meaning.
1. The scandal involved abuse ___ public money.
2. The programme protects teenagers ___ abuse.
3. Officials investigated abuse ___ the military.
Check your sentence in context
Paste the complete sentence below. Linguix checks the preposition together with grammar, spelling, punctuation, and style.
Free to try · No signup required
Frequently asked questions
What is the most common pattern with abuse?
Abuse of is the standard pattern for misuse or harmful treatment.
Can I say abuse in schools?
Yes. It refers to abuse occurring within schools.
Is abuse to correct?
Not usually as a direct noun-preposition combination.
Related preposition guides
Write with confidence in Linguix
Create a free account to check complete texts, apply suggestions, and save your documents.
