reuse
Americanverb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Explanation
To reuse something is to make use of it more than once, or for a subsequent time. Asking for a plastic bag at the grocery store might seem wasteful, but you can reuse that bag many times. Instead of throwing something away after using it once, ask yourself if there's any way you can reuse it. You can reuse a paper towel roll by putting it in your hamster's cage so he can crawl through and chew on it. You can reuse containers like glass jars and plastic tubs by storing leftovers in them. You can even reuse kitchen scraps by composting them and using the compost in your garden.
Vocabulary lists containing reuse
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.
In one upcoming episode, Celenza focuses on dried beans and teaches three different ways to not only cook but also preserve and reuse those beans for the future.
From Salon • Jul. 2, 2026
The city of Los Angeles also recently streamlined its adaptive reuse rules to make it easier to convert office buildings to housing.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 30, 2026
Textile dyeing and finishing operations generate large amounts of contaminated wastewater, making dye removal and water reuse ongoing challenges.
From Science Daily • Jun. 12, 2026
The Metropolitan Police is calling on tech firms to make stolen phones harder to reuse and prevent criminals from profiting.
From BBC • Jun. 11, 2026
Such reuse of old materials is not unknown, though nobody has ever seen it with a gourd three thousand years old.
From "1491" by Charles C. Mann
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.
