use
Americanverb (used with object)
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uses,
present (3rd person singular)
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used,
past participle, past
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using
present participle
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to employ for some purpose; put into service; make use of.
to use a knife.
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to avail oneself of; apply to one's own purposes.
to use the facilities.
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to expend or consume in use.
We have used the money provided.
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to treat or behave toward.
He did not use his employees with much consideration.
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to take unfair advantage of; exploit.
to use people to gain one's own ends.
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to drink, smoke, or ingest habitually.
to use drugs.
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to habituate or accustom.
- Synonyms:
- inure, familiarize
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Archaic. to practice habitually or customarily; make a practice of.
verb (used without object)
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uses,
present (3rd person singular)
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used,
past participle, past
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using
present participle
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to be accustomed or customarily found (used with an infinitive expressed or understood, and, except in archaic use, now only in the past).
He used to go every day.
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Archaic. to resort, stay, or dwell customarily.
noun
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uses
plural
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the act of employing, using, or putting into service.
the use of tools.
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the state of being employed or used.
- Synonyms:
- exercise, application, utilization, employment
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an instance or way of employing or using something.
proper use of the tool; the painter's use of color.
- Synonyms:
- handling
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a way of being employed or used; a purpose for which something is used.
He was of temporary use. The instrument has different uses.
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the power, right, or privilege of employing or using something.
to lose the use of the right eye; to be denied the use of a library card.
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service or advantage in or for being employed or used; utility or usefulness.
of no practical use.
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help; profit; resulting good.
What's the use of pursuing the matter?
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occasion or need, as for something to be employed or used.
Would you have any use for another calendar?
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continued, habitual, or customary employment or practice; custom.
to follow the prevailing use of such occasions.
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Law.
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the enjoyment of property, as by the employment, occupation, or exercise of it.
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the benefit or profit of lands and tenements in the possession of another who simply holds them for the beneficiary.
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the equitable ownership of land to which the legal title is in another's name.
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Liturgy. the distinctive form of ritual or of any liturgical observance used in a particular church, diocese, community, etc.
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usual or customary experience.
verb phrase
idioms
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put to use, to apply; employ to advantage.
What a shame that no one has put that old deserted mansion to use!
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of no use, of no advantage or help: Also no use.
It's of no use to look for that missing earring. It's no use asking her to go.
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make use of, to use for one's own purposes; employ.
Charitable organizations will make use of your old furniture and clothing.
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have no use for,
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to have no occasion or need for.
She appears to have no use for the city.
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to refuse to tolerate; discount.
He had no use for his brother.
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to have a distaste for; dislike.
He has no use for dictators.
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verb
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to put into service or action; employ for a given purpose
to use a spoon to stir with
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to make a practice or habit of employing; exercise
he uses his brain
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to behave towards
to use a friend well
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to behave towards in a particular way for one's own ends
he uses people
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to consume, expend, or exhaust
the engine uses very little oil
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to partake of (alcoholic drink, drugs, etc) or smoke (tobacco, marijuana, etc)
noun
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the act of using or the state of being used
the carpet wore out through constant use
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the ability, right, or permission to use
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the occasion to use; need
I have no use for this paper
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an instance or manner of using
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usefulness; advantage
it is of no use to complain
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custom; practice; habit
long use has inured him to it
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the purpose for which something is used; end
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Christianity a distinctive form of liturgical or ritual observance, esp one that is traditional in a Church or group of Churches
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the enjoyment of property, land, etc, by occupation or by deriving revenue or other benefit from it
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law the beneficial enjoyment of property the legal title to which is held by another person as trustee
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law an archaic word for trust
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philosophy logic linguistics the occurrence of an expression in such a context that it performs its own linguistic function rather than being itself referred to. In " Fido " refers to Fido, the name Fido is 'used' only on the second occurrence, first being mentioned Compare mention See also material mode
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to have no need of
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to have a contemptuous dislike for
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to employ; use
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to exploit (a person)
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Usage
What is another way to say use? To use something is to employ it for some purpose or to put it into service. How is use different from utilize? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Commonly Confused
See usage .
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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usesimple
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usessimple
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have usedperfect
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has usedperfect
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am usingprogressive
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are usingprogressive
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is usingprogressive
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have been usingperfect progressive
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has been usingperfect progressive
Past
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usedsimple
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had usedperfect
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was usingprogressive
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were usingprogressive
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had been usingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of use
First recorded in 1175–1225; (verb) Middle English usen, from Old French user, from Latin ūsus, past participle of ūtī “to use”; (noun) Middle English, from Old French, from Latin ūsus “act of using a thing, application, employment,” equivalent to ūt-, stem of ūtī “to use” + -tus suffix of verbal action, with tt becoming s
Explanation
Say the daughter of your favorite musician just enrolled at your school. If you just use her to get to meet her rock star dad, that's pretty unkind. Use is an old word with a lot of, well, uses. You can use a bike to get to school, or use up an entire tube of toothpaste in one vigorous brushing session. You might have to show Grandma how to use the 3-in-1 remote control. As a noun use means "purpose." As a verb, use means either "put to work," or "work something until there isn't anything left," unless you use your friend, meaning you exploit her.
Vocabulary lists containing use
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Phil Morrill says the homes are "no use to anyone just lying empty"
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Children ages 13 and over can use TikTok.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
Markets are wondering what tools Bessent might use to keep rates lower, and if he wants the Fed to step in.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
Dre also rapped a verse—in fact, he originally intended to use the song for his next album, according to “Only God Can Judge Me.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
A fresh wave of garbage-tinged stink greets me when I use the keys Dad gave me to open the door.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
A group of Hollywood and Silicon Valley power players proposed a framework to approach AI by distinguishing between “Human Generative Workflows” and uses that replace human contributions like actors’ performances.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
He said it was another "hybrid threat" to emerge in Germany, a term that Berlin uses to describe hostile acts of aggression short of unambiguous military attacks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
If the findings are confirmed in future studies and extended to additional vaccines, the approach could have uses well beyond COVID-19.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
Camarena's company uses electric tools where they're required to, in cities with ordinances banning petrol tools.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
“Although they depict a variety of landscapes, each of these paintings uses the same point of view.”
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
The data is saved for 30 days and automatically deleted unless it is being used as evidence in an active investigation, according to the department.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
It was not immediately clear what the settlement funds will be used for.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
There is little space for how early Christian ideas were variously used both to reinforce and to challenge aspects of the slave system.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
You mentioned you want this money to be used for your grandkids’ retirements, but is there a specific age that you had in mind?
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
The light, airy butterflies I used to feel when I saw him whip their red flags, scratch the walls of my stomach.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Plastin was tracked down using mobile phone data and arrested later that day at Stansted Airport as he tried to board a flight to Ireland.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Brazil was also impacted under a separate global tariff regime against US trading partners accused of using forced labor.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
On Thursday, the Guardian identified Prakash as the originator of the poll, using domain registration data tied to the Median Strategies website.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Whatever he said next was a rebuttal to a case somebody else had opened without telling him, using words he’d tried to erase.
From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026
Half-filling Renn’s cooking skin with water, he hung it by the fire; then, using a split branch, he dropped in red-hot stones to heat it up, and added the plucked and jointed willow grouse.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
