mistreat verb

/ˌmɪsˈtriːt/ v [T]

Definition

to treat a person or animal badly, cruelly or unfairly

Both parents have denied charges of mistreating their children.

I think people who mistreat their pets should be banned from keeping them.

/ˌmɪsˈtriːt.mənt/ n [U]

She suffered years of mistreatment from her violent husband.

(Definition of mistreat verb from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

to worry

Read our blog about how the English language behaves.

Find words and meanings that have just started to be used in English, and let us know what you think of them.