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)
-
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
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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:
The trucks use lidar to see more clearly in the dark, dust and foggy weather and can react faster or avoid a hazard.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Even after discovering the leaks, the military continued to use the vehicles until the end of the exercise due to a lack of alternatives and the soldiers deleted the videos, DN reported.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Nunez told France 2 that officers could use stun grenades in case of "extremely serious urban violence".
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
For those two years, California will cut its Colorado River water use by about 12%, while Arizona will take about 31% less and Nevada 28% less.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
“If you need a car, you can use my old one. The keys are by the door. The GPS is a little odd, but it still runs pretty well.”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
But only one of the four siblings uses it regularly, and that person’s children and grandchildren have grown up enjoying it while many of their other cousins have rarely visited.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
“This case is part of a troubling pattern where the Sheriff’s Department approves uses of force the independent Monitors find to be clearly out of policy,” Eliasberg said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
The system often uses automated messages, Are says, which can mean users are then unable to question a decision.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Australia's military uses the small uncrewed boats to quietly surveil its vast northern coastline, powered by a solar mast and wind.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
She uses the back of her hand to wipe sweat from her brow.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
"We used a very positional 4-3-3, understanding the spaces, the timings, waiting for the ball to arrive to you at the right time. Players moved the ball until gaps started opening."
From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026
The recordings showed who was getting in and out of the cars, the routes taken and even the codes used to open gates or doors to military facilities.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
Baeza, who was a Kodiak safety driver, used to ask supervisors, “Can I take over?”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
To skim costs in that shift, the company used cheap, faulty battery packs that, it turns out, were the real culprit for the drone failure.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
I’m used to pretending to be someone I’m not.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
In March, French newspaper Le Monde was able to locate the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle in almost real time in the eastern Mediterranean, thanks to a sailor on board using the app.
From Barron's ● Oct. 17, 2026
A plot twist in the series premiere centers on Olivia discovering her former boss trained “Daisy,” an unauthorized AI companion chatbot created by S-Talk, by using her voice and personality without her knowledge or consent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
Above all, it has been using jet fighters such as F-16s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Cardiff East Park and Ride currently serves staff and patients using Cardiff's University Hospital of Wales.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
They are then ordered to produce fifteen thousand more within the day, using the ship’s printing press equipment.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
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