reusable
Britishadjective
Explanation
Something is reusable if it can be used more than once. Since you can wash a cloth napkin after you use it, it is reusable. Toilet paper? Not reusable. Many cities now encourage shoppers to bring their own reusable bags to stores, instead of having groceries and other goods put in plastic bags that are usually thrown away after a single use. Reusable is a word you'll often see alongside words like recyclable, renewable, or sustainable, in an environmentally conscious context. It comes from the "again" prefix re- and usable.
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.
There were two reusable Path water bottles and a small tote bag with the hotel logo, which double as souvenirs.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
"The concept is reusable and recyclable," said Han Nguyen, a doctoral student in the Han Group and lead author of the study.
From Science Daily • May 15, 2026
Two teenage sisters from Gaza have won an environmental award for turning rubble into reusable bricks, saying they wanted to "turn destruction into something useful".
From BBC • May 13, 2026
Rocket Lab on Thursday also company confirmed that its Neutron reusable rocket is on track to make its debut by the end of the year.
From MarketWatch • May 7, 2026
On one website, we find a list of supplies every dog walker should own: a spare leash, lots of baggies, and a reusable water bottle and plastic bowl to keep the dogs hydrated.
From "A Soft Place to Land" by Janae Marks
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.
