utilization

American  

[yoot-l-ahy-zey-shuhn] / ˌyut l aɪˈzeɪ ʃən /

especially British, utilisation

noun

1. an act or instance of making practical or profitable use of something.

   I don't think this plan results in the best utilization of tax dollars.

---

Other Word Forms

• misutilization
  noun
• nonutilization
  noun
• overutilization
  noun
• preutilization
  noun
• reutilization
  noun

Etymology

Origin of utilization

First recorded in 1840–45; utiliz(e) ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Explanation

Utilization is a fancy way of saying "use." A team's utilization of a gym for practices might need to continue until it stops raining. You can see the verb utilize in utilization. When you utilize something, you use it, whether it is a tool, like when you utilize a pen to write something down, or a skill or talent, like the speed you utilize when you run a race. So utilization is the act of using, like the utilization of your voice that enables you to sing a song.

Example Sentences

“We have shown that the utilization of these cars—which are very, very expensive—on our platform, is higher.”

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

The company also announced its Scorpio X-Series 320 Lane Smart Fabric Switch on Tuesday — a chip that was developed to improve utilization and performance of large AI chip clusters.

From MarketWatch • May 5, 2026

Chevron is “delivering the highest utilization we can and capturing the highest margins,” she said.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

The operating environment for the Singapore aircraft-services provider appears supportive, he says in a note, citing resilient traffic and utilization.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

PG&E was willing to put up extra money for research it might be able to exploit commercially, such as studies of “the utilization of electricity on the farm,” he wrote.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• application
• discharge
• employment
• usage