available
Americanadjective
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suitable or ready for use; of use or service; at hand.
I used whatever tools were available.
- Synonyms:
- handy, usable, accessible
-
readily obtainable; accessible.
available resources.
-
(of a person) free or willing to do something; not occupied.
I’m sorry, Mrs. Clarke is not available to speak with you right now.
-
not involved in a romantic or sexual relationship; single.
Why would you tell Rachel that I’m available when you know how serious I am about Tina?
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Archaic.
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efficacious, advantageous, or profitable.
-
legally valid.
-
adjective
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obtainable or accessible; capable of being made use of; at hand
-
derogatory politics suitable for public office, usually as a result of having an inoffensive character
Smith was a particularly available candidate
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of available
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; see origin at avail, -able
Explanation
"Is this seat available?" "Are you available, or are you married?" As you can tell from these two examples, available means "not busy or not taken." Available can be used to describe anything that's ready to be used like a restaurant table or a theater seat. It can also be used to describe a person who is not involved in a romantic relationship: "Available singles use online dating websites." When you use a resource, like the school library, you can say that you "avail yourself to the research opportunities made available to students." No matter how you slice it, available means free for the taking.
Vocabulary lists containing available
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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Here! Synonyms For "Present"
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"The Secret Water"
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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.
Music fans online in recent months discussed what became known as “blue dot fever” referring to the blue circles showing unsold, face-value seats available for a show at a concert venue.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 27, 2026
The State Department -- which had previously announced that a commemorative passport with "custom artwork" would be available from July 6 -- did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
From Barron's • Jun. 27, 2026
Here are seven highlights from the interview, which was broadcast on BBC One, and is available to re-watch on the BBC iPlayer.
From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026
Fellow AI firm Anthropic didn’t make it’s most capable model, Mythos, available to the public due to concerns that security firms may not be able to handle the cyber threats it poses.
From Barron's • Jun. 26, 2026
Mom is probably gone forever, which means our bank accounts won’t be available anytime soon.
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.
