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:
"It looks really promising that we can use this drug, which is already on the market, to target BDNF," Cox said.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
ByteDance in response said it was taking steps to strengthen its safeguards to prevent unauthorized use of IP or likeness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
The notification was the biggest use yet of the emergency alert system and Prime Minister Andy Burnham urged the public to take it "seriously".
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Liz Ann Sonders has spent decades translating the complexity of financial markets into language that retail investors can actually use.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
Don Quixote kept thinking of the needy people in the world who could use his help.
From "Adventures of Don Quixote" by Argentina Palacios
Ford is the industry’s biggest buyer of aluminum, which it uses for the bestselling F-150 pickup, and it has been forced to rely more heavily on imported aluminum after factory fires sidelined its biggest supplier.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
The British actor, who debuted in Game of Thrones aged 11 and uses they/them pronouns, says they had consciously decided not to behave like a stereotypical teenager after hearing criticisms from adults.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Medicare generally uses your income from two years earlier to determine whether you pay higher Part B and Part D premiums.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026
Cross polarized light microscopy uses specially filtered light to reveal structures that may be difficult to see with ordinary microscopy.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
“What’s the need for heroes if every citizen uses magic as well as you do?”
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
The researchers used several methods to test whether the Saguaro's compact red center truly matched the defining characteristics of a typical LRD.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
When I thought I was becoming good at golf—again, a delusion—I used to pay very close attention to equipment and have actual opinions about gear.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
In recent years, sea lettuce had been removed from St Aubin's Bay and used on the island's fields.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Hydrogen is an alternative to gasoline, diesel fuel and natural gas that’s part of California’s climate strategy because it doesn’t produce greenhouse gas emissions when used.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
It's the same principle used in the police "lie detector" test, only the Damasios are interested in a different sort of truth.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
McCabe was inspired to take the exams after seeing the late Rob Burrow appear on CBeebies' Bedtime Stories, where he read aloud using an eye-controlled computer.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
She recently turned down a nonfiction writer whose work she was excited about after they admitted to using AI frequently—not to write, they claimed, but to get inspiration.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
It can be made cleanly by cleaving the hydrogen out of water using clean electricity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Congress has the authority to investigate presidential actions using its general oversight power.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
In preparation for kindergarten, Aunt Melissa insisted Lily start using my real name, but the word horoscope is still beyond her comprehension.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
