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:
It was authorized for emergency use that December.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
Williams said people living in Brynteg and nearby knew the homes were empty and cannot be sold for residential use, leading to no further inquiries about them.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
They claimed that TikTok allowed children to use the app in addition to collecting and using personal data from young users without letting their parents know.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
The bonus is that they can use some of the money they earned, but have it invested for the future as well if you’re willing to make a match.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Have you any use for this?” he wondered, offhand.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
He said it was another "hybrid threat" to emerge in Germany, a term that Berlin uses to describe hostile acts of aggression short of unambiguous military attacks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
In contrast, the new study reveals a biological pathway that the body naturally uses to control liver inflammation, providing additional clues that could help guide the development of future treatments.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026
Thrive, a charity that uses gardening to support people's health and wellbeing, says community gardens are about much more than growing plants.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Drivers include growing demand for Toyota Motor’s new ‘RAV4’ model, which uses more of Toyoda Gosei’s parts per vehicle and sales growth in the India business, the analyst says.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
It is a reasonable question, and the answer is this: There are French words and phrases that only French-speaking people use, and there are French words and phrases that everyone uses.
From "The Hidden Gallery" by Maryrose Wood
In its early days, Moderna poured research and development dollars into the idea that mRNA could be used as a common underlying technology for different types of medicines.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026
The data is saved for 30 days and automatically deleted unless it is being used as evidence in an active investigation, according to the department.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Industrial fans, heaters and windbreaks were used to prepare a pitch during the series win over England in 2024.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
It was not immediately clear what the settlement funds will be used for.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
“Oh, I’m used to it by now. People can be such idiots. I’ve had to deal with that stuff for years.”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Players and fans alike have taken the confidence of last season's Premier League title win - their first in 22 years - and are using it as the team start their bid to retain it.
From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026
Social media users are using the term as a celebration of all things fall.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Brazil was also impacted under a separate global tariff regime against US trading partners accused of using forced labor.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
On Thursday, the Guardian identified Prakash as the originator of the poll, using domain registration data tied to the Median Strategies website.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
For an hour he questioned me, using every psychological trick that the young men of our group had drilled me in.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
