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
-
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
-
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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-
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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
-
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:
Rather than educate users how to use their privacy settings, the judge wrote, Zuckerberg chose to “capitalize on that lack of understanding in order to manipulate users into sharing more of their personal information publicly.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
He shares concern over the ill-informed framing of Native people as responsible for extreme water use in the state.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
At the one stop where I had to use a plug adapter, everything still worked fine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Widespread NHS use will also depend on cost, given that each individual patient will need to have their tumour genetically analysed and a personalised vaccine made for them.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
I make myself open both eyes and use my hand to block the light.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Speaking at the NEXTPreidict summit in New York, Mackenzie uses the example of airline stocks during the Covid-19 epidemic as retail investors flexing their control.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
Drawing inspiration from “The Magician,” Colm Tóibín’s fictionalized 2021 Mann biography, Pawlikowski uses this trip as a jumping-off point, introducing real-life individuals who were not present and inventing a new central dynamic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Betancourt’s company currently produces about 200,000 barrels per day — or about as much over the course of a year as the United States uses in three days.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
The vaccine, called Intismeran, uses the same mRNA technology as some Covid jabs.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
This was because of the wide variety of their uses.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Founded 150 years ago, the Florida Yacht Club in Jacksonville used the devastation of Hurricane Irma and a Covid-19 operational pause to rethink its offerings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
“Dan ran things the way they used to, in the storied, fabled days of publishing before everything went corporate.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
That classification is commonly used to shield a variety of federal records from public release, including those containing personnel information, details about ongoing law enforcement operations and matters protected by attorney-client privilege.
From Salon ● Oct. 23, 2026
A new personalised cancer vaccine given alongside a widely used immunotherapy drug has cut the risk of patients dying or their skin cancer returning by 42% in a major clinical trial.
From BBC ● Oct. 23, 2026
He ran a claw over the familiar iron frame, a little scuffed and warped from all the times he’d used it to start the hearth fire.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Korbak said using disappearing messages on Signal is considered a “basic security best practice” throughout Silicon Valley.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
“Penalties, consent agreements and decrees have not deterred Meta from using deceptive trade practices,” he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
You “went there” by using emotional leverage, whether or not you believe it in your heart to be valid, to persuade her to sell this house to you on the cheap.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 23, 2026
To investigate whether gamma delta T cells could directly attack lung cancer, the scientists developed miniature tumors in the laboratory using tissue samples donated by patients.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 23, 2026
I offer him the one I was using, but he bats it away.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
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