disuse

American  

[dis-yoos, dis-yooz] / dɪsˈyus, dɪsˈyuz /

noun

1. discontinuance of use or practice.

   Traditional customs are falling into disuse.

---

verb (used with object)

disused, disusing

1. to cease to use.

disuse British  

/ dɪsˈjuːs /

noun

1. the condition of being unused; neglect (often in the phrases in or into disuse )

---

Etymology

Origin of disuse

1375–1425; late Middle English. See dis- ¹, use

Explanation

Use the noun disuse to describe a condition of not being used. After years of disuse, you won't be surprised when your dad's motorcycle doesn't start. The word disuse implies at least a bit of neglect, and it can also mean that something has become obsolete or old-fashioned: "Typewriters fell into disuse after personal computers became available." You'll often find the word used in the graceful phrase "fall into disuse." The word comes from a Latin root, dis, which means "lack of," added to the word use, and it's been around since about 1400.

Example Sentences

Royal enthusiast Anne Daley, from Cardiff, hopes the cottage will continue to be used by younger members of the family rather than risk falling into disuse.

From BBC • Nov. 17, 2025

Fewer cities are volunteering to spend billions on infrastructure that sometimes falls into disuse.

From Seattle Times • Jun. 1, 2024

This is why the Spanish, who arrived in the 1500s and set out to control the people by converting them to Catholicism, banned the cultivation and possession of the crop, which fell into disuse.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2024

The body’s sensors that on Earth raise our blood pressure when we stand up from lying down, so that we don’t faint, grow lazy with disuse.

From New York Times • Nov. 12, 2023

She was christened Mary Katherine, a name which has fallen more and more into disuse, as—for reasons best known to themselves—the Corcorans have chosen to give her the nickname “Bunny.”

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt