avail
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to be of use; have force or efficacy; serve; help.
His strength did not avail against the hostile onslaught.
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to be of value or profit.
noun
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advantage; use; efficacy; effective use in the achievement of a goal or objective.
His belated help will be of little or no avail.
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Archaic. avails, profits or proceeds.
idioms
verb
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to be of use, advantage, profit, or assistance (to)
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to make use of to one's advantage
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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availsimple
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availssimple
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have availedperfect
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has availedperfect
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am availingprogressive
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are availingprogressive
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is availingprogressive
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have been availingperfect progressive
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has been availingperfect progressive
Past
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availedsimple
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had availedperfect
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was availingprogressive
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were availingprogressive
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had been availingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of avail
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English availe, from a- a- 2 + Old French vail-, noun stem of valoir “to be worth,” from Latin valēre “to be strong, be well, be of worth”
Explanation
To avail means to take advantage of an opportunity, the way you'd be crazy not to avail yourself of a chocolate milkshake on Free Milkshake Day at your local ice cream parlor. Sometimes avail is used to mean "help," and in that case it can be used in a sentence like "Nothing seemed to avail me, not even winning the lottery." More often though, avail shows up in the company of "oneself of," as in the sentence, "I hope you avail yourself of my advice, because I'm very wise." It might seem like a complicated way to use a verb, but it's one you should avail yourself of if you're hoping to impress someone.
Vocabulary lists containing avail
Grade 12, List 1
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"What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?" by Frederick Douglass
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"Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" by Jonathan Edwards
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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.
See Examples For:
But there’s a lot to be said about emotional security, a lower tax bill, shared expenses and healthcare insurance, among other advantages that married couples avail of.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 24, 2026
After that, when the impossibility of recovering anyone else became clear, Al-Zaharnah and others kept hoping international organizations would convince Israel to allow more construction equipment, but to little avail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 9, 2026
Many Western hedge funds also avail themselves of cheap yen loans to buy promising assets such as red-hot U.S. tech stocks, a practice dubbed the carry trade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
In 2021, specialist officers working as part of a unit investigating organised crime also investigated to no avail, though did rule it was "foul play".
From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026
He throttled that doorknob, but all to no avail.
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
The stars have chemistry and charisma; the series avails itself of an impressive cast of guest stars and delectable Italian shooting locations.
From New York Times ● Apr. 27, 2024
Bryan Cranston’s movie career avails him of some variety, but on Showtime’s “Your Honor” he plays another version of a good man pushed to commit evil for the sake of protecting his family.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2024
“A Love Song” avails itself of Dickey’s usual strengths, even as it vaults her, in a belated but entirely welcome development, from sterling supporting player to luminous lead.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2022
“The board avails itself of different sets of independent expertise,” he said.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 10, 2021
What avails it to yoke steam to our chariot, if black care still sits behind the rider? to wing our thoughts with the lightning, if those thoughts are no happier or worthier than before?
From The Expositor's Bible: Ephesians by Findlay, G. G.
As a bonus, I’d learn a few things while she availed herself of uninterrupted free time, which wasn’t really free, since I’d often hear a running vacuum or dishes clanking in the sink.
From Salon ● Jan. 30, 2026
In doing so, Adams also availed himself of millions of dollars in public matching funds.
From Slate ● Jan. 25, 2025
It said more than 4,500 households availed of emergency temporary accommodation over the weekend.
From BBC ● Nov. 24, 2024
Yet they hardly availed themselves of the city’s busy night life.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 25, 2024
She was against welfare and never applied for it despite our need, but championed those who availed themselves of it.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
An interesting gauntlet was thrown down this week when the parent of Fox News agreed to acquire Roku, availing itself of a post-cable platform to compete for news dominance.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
Mr Manifold added: " I had no interest in taking private aviation nor in availing myself of corporate tickets for sports events. I made my own coffee, bought my lunch in the local cafe."
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
With Newsom termed out and a rare open-seat race for governor availing itself, Bonta suggested it would have been political malpractice not to consider running.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2025
"This time frame represents a broad enough range to demonstrate climate change, while also availing of the most recent reliable data that covers both the climate change and extremism dimensions for the country."
From Science Daily ● Apr. 3, 2024
Therefore, availing myself of the faculties with which I am invested, I have now resolved that the following articles be observed.
From The History of Cuba, vol. 3 by Johnson, Willis Fletcher
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.
