usage

American  

[yoo-sij, -zij] / ˈju sɪdʒ, -zɪdʒ /

noun

• usages
  plural

1. a customary way of doing something; a custom or practice.

   the usages of the last 50 years.

   Synonyms:

   convention, habit, tradition

2. the customary manner in which a language or a form of a language is spoken or written.

   English usage; a grammar based on usage rather than on arbitrary notions of correctness.

3. a particular instance of this.

   a usage borrowed from French.

4. any manner of doing or handling something; treatment.

   rough usage.

5. habitual or customary use; long-continued practice.

   immemorial usage.

6. an act of using or employing; use.

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usage British  

/ -zɪdʒ, ˈjuːsɪdʒ /

noun

1. the act or a manner of using; use; employment

2. constant use, custom, or habit

3. something permitted or established by custom or practice

4. what is actually said in a language, esp as contrasted with what is prescribed

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Commonly Confused

The nouns usage and use are related in origin and meaning and to some extent overlap in their use. Usage usually refers to habitual or customary practices or procedures: Some usages of the Anglican Church are similar to those of the Roman Catholic Church. It is also commonly used in reference to language practices: English usage is divided in the pronunciation of aunt. Use refers to the act of using or employing (something): She put her extra money to good use. Perhaps in the belief that it is the more impressive term, usage is sometimes used where use would be more natural: Has your usage of a personal computer made the work any easier?

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonusage
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• usages
  plural

Etymology

Origin of usage

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Anglo-French, Old French, from Medieval Latin ūsāticum, equivalent to Latin ūs(us) ( see use) + -āticum -age

Explanation

Usage is the act of using something. Your cell phone usage is something you'll want to keep track of so you don't find yourself surprised by overages and extra charges that might make you want to cry. Usage can also refer to the usual and correct way a language is spoken or written. If you want to make sure you're using the right word or using a tricky word correctly, you should consult a book on English usage. Usage can also mean an accepted practice or custom. An anthropologist might describe the specific time-honored usages that a particular tribe observes whenever a baby is born.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

usage usages

And this is why following Denmark's lead by making meters mandatory could have an effect that goes beyond tying consumers' actual water usage to their bills.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

The last thing the planet needs is a massive increase in energy usage.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026

Washington noted that higher usage of agentic work units is complementing core seat growth.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 26, 2026

Federal officials say their plan to cut usage is necessary because the seven states that lie on the river have been unable to agree amongst themselves.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

This seems to be the earliest usage of the term ‘hypothesis’ in its standard modern sense, at any rate in English.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Token usages are how developers measure and pay for AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 30, 2026

What are some unique butter techniques or usages that some may not be familiar with?

From Salon ● Dec. 4, 2024

The Northern Quarter is a "lively, vibrant" area, but as "Manchester is evolving", its "usages are changing", which means the area can now be considered mixed use, the judge said.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2024

Other similarly off-putting usages prompted think tanks and op-ed writers to warn that deepfakes were on the cusp of sparking a war or manipulating an election.

From Slate ● Jun. 4, 2023

Neither the nominalist nor the mathematical usages are particularly common, and we cannot show any direct influence from either of them on seventeenth-century usages.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Related Words

• management