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avail

[ uh-veyl ]
/ əˈveɪl /
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See synonyms for: avail / availed / avails on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
to be of use or value to; profit; advantage: All our efforts availed us little in trying to effect a change.
verb (used without object)
to be of use; have force or efficacy; serve; help: His strength did not avail against the hostile onslaught.
to be of value or profit.
noun
advantage; use; efficacy; effective use in the achievement of a goal or objective: His belated help will be of little or no avail.
avails, Archaic. profits or proceeds.
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Idioms about avail

    avail oneself of, to use to one's advantage: They availed themselves of the opportunity to hear a free concert.

Origin of avail

1250–1300; Middle English availe, equivalent to a-a-2 + vaile<Old French vail- (stem of valoir) <Latin valēre to be of worth

OTHER WORDS FROM avail

a·vail·ing·ly, adverbun·a·vailed, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use avail in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for avail

avail
/ (əˈveɪl) /

verb
to be of use, advantage, profit, or assistance (to)
avail oneself of to make use of to one's advantage
noun
use or advantage (esp in the phrases of no avail, to little avail)

Derived forms of avail

availingly, adverb

Word Origin for avail

C13 availen, from vailen, from Old French valoir, from Latin valēre to be strong, prevail
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with avail

avail

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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