cuss

1 of 2

noun

cuss

2 of 2

verb

cussed; cussing; cusses

transitive verb

: curse
often used with out
got cussed out by his boss
cusser noun

Examples of cuss in a Sentence

Noun a man who has never uttered a single cuss Verb She started to yell and cuss as soon as she saw him. the little girl clapped her hands over her ears when her brother started cussing
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The film stays in the perspective of an unstoppable killer/monster named Johnny who frequently uses very sharp objects to prey on campers, rangers, hikers and a crotchety old cuss — all in acts of vengeance for the evil that has been perpetrated on him. Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 29 Jan. 2024 This California school board president has 2 DUIs and cusses. Emily Alpert Reyes, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2023 Betty Sykes didn’t give a cuss what came out of her mouth—and much of it was cusses—or who listened. Graham Swift, The New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2022 How many f**king cuss words are in these sh**ty video games, anyway? Seriously Science, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2014 Betty Sykes didn’t give a cuss what came out of her mouth—and much of it was cusses—or who listened. Graham Swift, The New Yorker, 14 Nov. 2022 The Stamos party happened to be on the same flight out of Munich with U.S. players, and Gregory remembers hearing players, who had refused to accept the silver medals, letting out cuss words over and over. Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 10 Sep. 2022 An image of Bender, DiMaggio's alcohol-binging, cigar-smoking, cuss-slinging robot, was used by Hulu to promote the news of the revival — but DiMaggio's name was not mentioned among the returning cast. Nick Romano, EW.com, 10 Feb. 2022 There was no way that after almost 20 years, the gun-toting, muumuu-wearing, glad-to-cuss-everybody-out elderly woman would leave so quietly. Essence, 28 Jan. 2022
Verb
The 81-year-old told a delightful tale of her international vacation, which included tours of historic sites, delicious food, and cussing out an Italian woman for dessert. Joey Nolfi, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2023 The mother of four says that their musical doesn’t warrant more than a PG-13 rating and that the cussing isn’t gratuitous. Anne Kniggendorf, Kansas City Star, 31 Jan. 2024 But some lil girl by the name of Elle King apparently cussed and insulted some of Dolly’s fans by not knowing a song. Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Jan. 2024 On a Wednesday afternoon in September, Joseph Smith was slowing Bus 73 to a stop near downtown Susanville when a noise rang out, drowning out the cussing middle-schoolers and giggling elementary school kids riding home from class. Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 7 Dec. 2023 While schools can still employ punitive discipline for severe actions such as violence or drug possessions, kids can now cuss out their teacher with impunity. Daniel Buck, National Review, 21 Oct. 2023 That carrier, who wished to remain anonymous out of fear for his safety on his route, had just dropped off some mail at a residence when a man started yelling at him and cussing him out. Brennon Dixson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2023 As for the disorderly conduct charges, police content Crews engaged in fighting and disobeyed the officer who told her to quit cussing and yelling in public. Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 18 Aug. 2023 But that’s not why Sinéad was cussing at me that day on the phone. Geoff Edgers, Washington Post, 28 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'cuss.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

alteration of curse

First Known Use

Noun

1771, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1768, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of cuss was in 1768

Dictionary Entries Near cuss

Cite this Entry

“Cuss.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cuss. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

cuss

1 of 2 noun

cuss

2 of 2 verb

More from Merriam-Webster on cuss

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