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Definition of "self-abuse" [self•-abuse]

  • Abuse of oneself or one's abilities. (noun)
  • Masturbation. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "self-abuse" in a sentence
  • "Still since early adolescents are more sensitive listening-devices than anything yet perfected by the Pentagon, I collected whiffs of the culture’s severe ambivalence on the subject of what was often called self-abuse."
  • "To be sure, severe forms of self-assault, more accurately called self-abuse, are dangerous."
  • "The next time I saw him, it was in the communal dorm bathroom, a pit of uncleanliness marked by vomit, bodily fluids, and the other detritus of intoxication and self-abuse."