use
Americanverb (used with object)
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uses,
present (3rd person singular)
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used,
past participle, past
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using
present participle
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to employ for some purpose; put into service; make use of.
to use a knife.
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to avail oneself of; apply to one's own purposes.
to use the facilities.
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to expend or consume in use.
We have used the money provided.
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to treat or behave toward.
He did not use his employees with much consideration.
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to take unfair advantage of; exploit.
to use people to gain one's own ends.
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to drink, smoke, or ingest habitually.
to use drugs.
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to habituate or accustom.
- Synonyms:
- inure, familiarize
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Archaic. to practice habitually or customarily; make a practice of.
verb (used without object)
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uses,
present (3rd person singular)
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used,
past participle, past
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using
present participle
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to be accustomed or customarily found (used with an infinitive expressed or understood, and, except in archaic use, now only in the past).
He used to go every day.
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Archaic. to resort, stay, or dwell customarily.
noun
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uses
plural
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the act of employing, using, or putting into service.
the use of tools.
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the state of being employed or used.
- Synonyms:
- exercise, application, utilization, employment
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an instance or way of employing or using something.
proper use of the tool; the painter's use of color.
- Synonyms:
- handling
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a way of being employed or used; a purpose for which something is used.
He was of temporary use. The instrument has different uses.
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the power, right, or privilege of employing or using something.
to lose the use of the right eye; to be denied the use of a library card.
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service or advantage in or for being employed or used; utility or usefulness.
of no practical use.
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help; profit; resulting good.
What's the use of pursuing the matter?
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occasion or need, as for something to be employed or used.
Would you have any use for another calendar?
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continued, habitual, or customary employment or practice; custom.
to follow the prevailing use of such occasions.
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Law.
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the enjoyment of property, as by the employment, occupation, or exercise of it.
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the benefit or profit of lands and tenements in the possession of another who simply holds them for the beneficiary.
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the equitable ownership of land to which the legal title is in another's name.
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Liturgy. the distinctive form of ritual or of any liturgical observance used in a particular church, diocese, community, etc.
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usual or customary experience.
verb phrase
idioms
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put to use, to apply; employ to advantage.
What a shame that no one has put that old deserted mansion to use!
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of no use, of no advantage or help: Also no use.
It's of no use to look for that missing earring. It's no use asking her to go.
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make use of, to use for one's own purposes; employ.
Charitable organizations will make use of your old furniture and clothing.
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have no use for,
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to have no occasion or need for.
She appears to have no use for the city.
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to refuse to tolerate; discount.
He had no use for his brother.
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to have a distaste for; dislike.
He has no use for dictators.
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verb
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to put into service or action; employ for a given purpose
to use a spoon to stir with
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to make a practice or habit of employing; exercise
he uses his brain
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to behave towards
to use a friend well
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to behave towards in a particular way for one's own ends
he uses people
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to consume, expend, or exhaust
the engine uses very little oil
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to partake of (alcoholic drink, drugs, etc) or smoke (tobacco, marijuana, etc)
noun
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the act of using or the state of being used
the carpet wore out through constant use
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the ability, right, or permission to use
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the occasion to use; need
I have no use for this paper
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an instance or manner of using
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usefulness; advantage
it is of no use to complain
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custom; practice; habit
long use has inured him to it
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the purpose for which something is used; end
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Christianity a distinctive form of liturgical or ritual observance, esp one that is traditional in a Church or group of Churches
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the enjoyment of property, land, etc, by occupation or by deriving revenue or other benefit from it
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law the beneficial enjoyment of property the legal title to which is held by another person as trustee
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law an archaic word for trust
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philosophy logic linguistics the occurrence of an expression in such a context that it performs its own linguistic function rather than being itself referred to. In " Fido " refers to Fido, the name Fido is 'used' only on the second occurrence, first being mentioned Compare mention See also material mode
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to have no need of
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to have a contemptuous dislike for
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to employ; use
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to exploit (a person)
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Usage
What is another way to say use? To use something is to employ it for some purpose or to put it into service. How is use different from utilize? Find out on Thesaurus.com.
Commonly Confused
See usage .
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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usesimple
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usessimple
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have usedperfect
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has usedperfect
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am usingprogressive
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are usingprogressive
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is usingprogressive
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have been usingperfect progressive
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has been usingperfect progressive
Past
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usedsimple
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had usedperfect
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was usingprogressive
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were usingprogressive
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had been usingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of use
First recorded in 1175–1225; (verb) Middle English usen, from Old French user, from Latin ūsus, past participle of ūtī “to use”; (noun) Middle English, from Old French, from Latin ūsus “act of using a thing, application, employment,” equivalent to ūt-, stem of ūtī “to use” + -tus suffix of verbal action, with tt becoming s
Explanation
Say the daughter of your favorite musician just enrolled at your school. If you just use her to get to meet her rock star dad, that's pretty unkind. Use is an old word with a lot of, well, uses. You can use a bike to get to school, or use up an entire tube of toothpaste in one vigorous brushing session. You might have to show Grandma how to use the 3-in-1 remote control. As a noun use means "purpose." As a verb, use means either "put to work," or "work something until there isn't anything left," unless you use your friend, meaning you exploit her.
Vocabulary lists containing use
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:
What if the producer on your next record says, “Hey, here’s a little shortcut we can use”? We already use little shortcuts — Auto-Tune is one.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
They will be entitled to import forage from outside their zone, and use some supplements.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
You mention you each use different metrics to measure performance, but I’m not sure that is relevant or makes any difference when it comes to the service he is providing.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Oman’s foreign minister followed, trying to hammer out an agreement with Iran on the lanes ships would use to transit the Strait of Hormuz.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Some big company was fighting at the courthouse for use of the riverside property, but the land was winning out.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
He uses a local metaphor, “rotate the crops,” for political turnover.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
The rate of return he uses is dollar-weighted, which takes into account cash flows, dividends, etc.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Such control could prove valuable for spintronics, a field that uses electron spin as well as electrical charge to process and store information, and for new computer memory designs.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 27, 2026
Instead, it uses a different measure that stops tracking young people once they turn 19 - just as many are entering the age range where problems tend to emerge.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
He uses magic to fly to your dyedushka, and to fly back to me.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
The charge was eventually dropped after a court ruled that video and audio from secretly installed cameras at the massage parlor could not be used as evidence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
The issue came to light in recent years after a serious close call involving a Marine helicopter used by then Vice President Kamala Harris in 2021.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Hugging Face used a Chinese AI tool from the firm Z.AI in its investigation into what happened.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
Shell companies are dangerous because they are used both by criminal organizations to evade sanctions and launder money and by the rich to avoid taxes.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
They used the money to keep the presses going.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
That’s not AI, but we’ve been using those kinds of tools, and there’s always the danger of overusing them.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
BBC Verify has traced the path of the deadly flash flood using verified videos and satellite imagery.
From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026
I’m just curious whether I’m getting any added value from using this wealth manager, or if I’m paying him several thousand dollars a year to do something I could do myself.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
District Attorney Nathan Hochman launched an investigation using law-enforcement databases with records of virtually everyone the county had prosecuted since the 1960s, including juveniles whose files had been scrubbed from the probation department.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 27, 2026
Was she planning on using somebody else’s money to pay for my college tuition?
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
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.
