utilize

American  

[yoot-l-ahyz] / ˈjut lˌaɪz /

especially British, utilise

verb (used with object)

• utilizes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• utilized,
  past participle,  past
• utilizing
  present participle

1. to put to use; turn to profitable account.

   to utilize a stream to power a mill.

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utilize British  

/ ˈjuːtɪˌlaɪz /

verb

1. (tr) to make practical or worthwhile use of

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Usage

What is another way to say utilize? To utilize something is to put it to use or turn it to profitable account. How is utilize different from use? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• utilization
  noun
• utilizer
  noun
• overutilize
  verb (used with object)
• preutilize
  verb (used with object)
• reutilize
  verb (used with object)
• half-utilized
  adjective
• nonutilized
  adjective
• preutilizable
  adjective
• quasi-utilized
  adjective
• underutilized
  adjective
• unutilizable
  adjective
• unutilized
  adjective
• utilizable
  adjective
• well-utilized
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• utilizing
  present
• utilized
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• utilize
  simple
• utilizes
  simple
• have utilized
  perfect
• has utilized
  perfect
• am utilizing
  progressive
• are utilizing
  progressive
• is utilizing
  progressive
• have been utilizing
  perfect progressive
• has been utilizing
  perfect progressive

Past

• utilized
  simple
• had utilized
  perfect
• was utilizing
  progressive
• were utilizing
  progressive
• had been utilizing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will utilize
  simple
• will have utilized
  perfect
• will be utilizing
  progressive
• will have been utilizing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of utilize

First recorded in 1800–10; from French utiliser, equivalent to utile “useful” ( see utile) + -iser -ize

Explanation

To utilize is to use what you have or what's available, and it's a three-syllable word meaning the same thing as the one-syllable "use." The word utilize is often a more formal way to express "putting something to use." If you don’t have time to go to the store but you need to come up with a science project, you might utilize what's already in the kitchen. Most of the time you can use the verb use as a synonym for utilize. You can utilize a shorter word to make a sentence easier to read.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

utilize utilizes utilized utilizing

Data-center operators monetize commitments by users to utilize capacity.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

I learned to appreciate where my food came from and how to utilize every ingredient and part of the animal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

There were other features in the app that I didn’t fully utilize, like journal prompts, mood trackers, meditations, and more.

From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026

“They still purchase things. They still utilize equipment. They may rent things from local supply houses.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Instead, by a variety of adaptations they utilize their victims for the nurture of their own young.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

But Mr. Tommasini also utilizes more recent academic scholarship, as well as personal interviews with individuals such as the opera star Leontyne Price, who viewed Anderson as a role model.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Tresnjak’s production, which utilizes the 1956 adaptation by Maurice Valency, centers on the small town of Güllen, which is facing financial ruin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

"Every decision is made with careful consideration and appropriately reviewed to ensure that any technology ICE utilizes is consistent with all applicable law enforcement policies and standards," DHS said in a statement.

From Barron's ● Aug. 14, 2026

Instead, pick a career that utilizes your strengths and that you at least mildly enjoy.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 22, 2026

I think the difference between a lie and a story is that a story utilizes the trappings and appearance of truth for the interest of the listener as well as of the teller.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

It’s because Morello is a musical polymath who has utilized his fame to allow himself to make whatever kind of music he wants to be making.

From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026

Kedrosky is troubled that fixed-income investors are piling money into data-center projects backed by hyperscalers without really understanding what is happening in those data centers and whether they are sufficiently utilized.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 1, 2026

Studios at the time, noted, it was also “the first time we utilized the whole machine of the company”—all the cross-marketing, product tie-ins, T-shirts and more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

In her 1987 essay, “The Site of Memory,” she utilized a river as a metaphor to discuss how imagination excavates forgotten histories and people.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Both American and foreign students utilized him as their prototype for human development, spiritual dedication, and equality.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

"The industry is utilizing less than 0.15% of Texas land," he says.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

And much like Parsons, Hopper, and the other established columnists of the fan magazine era, there’s a push towards utilizing these same studios to further one’s brand.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

“I have 100% confidence that you know through quite a long period of time they’re going to be utilizing Nvidia compute for a lot of their computing,” he added.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026

Customers are utilizing Falcon Flex, the company’s flexible licensing model, to buy a prepaid balance of funds for use across various modules.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

This was primary source material, research papers based on direct experimental data, involved theoretical constructions utilizing a complex vocabulary and containing a wealth of original ideas—and he was breaking his head on it.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

Related Words

• apply
• employ
• implement
• take advantage of
• use