cussing

[ kuhs-ing ]

noun

1. the act or practice of cursing or swearing:

   Keep the cussing to a minimum, as there are kids around.

2. the act of criticizing or reprimanding someone in harsh language (usually followed by out ):

   After three fouls, the player was pulled from the field and got a good cussing out from his coach.

adjective

1. cursing or swearing:

   A cussing parrot has landed a woman in court for allegedly teaching the bird to swear at her neighbor.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cussing¹

First recorded in 1830–40; cuss ( def ) + -ing ¹( def ) for the noun senses; cuss ( def ) + -ing ²( def ) for the adjective sense

Example Sentences

“I started cussing,” said Stabolio, 50.

From Los Angeles Times

“Perry’s frustration had been mounting, night after night, he felt that the stage volume had been extremely loud and his voice was being drowned out by the band. Perry had been suffering from tinnitus and a sore throat every night. But when the audience in the first row, started complaining up to Perry cussing at him that the band was planning too loud and that they couldn’t hear him, Perry lost it.”

From Los Angeles Times

Brady did have his moments, like when he made an apparent reference to Belichick in saying, “I played for a coach that didn’t mind cussing his players out,” then explained why he thought that wasn’t such a bad thing.

From Los Angeles Times

Mr. Mellencamp, 72, a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, had been sharing an anecdote about how his grandmother, who had lived until the age of 100, had once cautioned him that “you’re not going to get into heaven if you don’t stop this cussing and smoking all the time.”

From New York Times

Bobby Hundreds: We get a phone call from Yo and he just starts cussing us out.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• bane
• expletive
• obscenity
• profanity
• whammy