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:
The experiment did not establish lasting memory benefits, slower aging, or the safety of prolonged use in older adults.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
While Kiritsis sought to use Hall’s life as a bargaining chip for prosecutorial immunity, he also portrayed himself as an underdog taking on powerful financial interests.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
DSA groups sometimes come and use the office when there is strategic alignment and a need for a venue.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
Islamabad says the militants use safe haven in Afghanistan to train and plan attacks in Pakistan.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
He made a deal with me that I could use his dock and canoes whenever I wanted if I helped him in the office on the weekends.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Meta said it’s been transparent about how it uses social media data to improve and build its AI products.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
Getting many AI chips to talk to each other uses a lot of power.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
The extra cash "really helps, especially to pay for my children's college", said 50-year-old Octavius, who like many Indonesians uses a single name.
From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026
He uses EE, but the rest of the team use a range of network providers including O2 and Three.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Tano uses the edge of his foot to turn me over on the ground.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
Instead of only comparing people who used GLP-1 medications with those who did not, the researchers followed the same individuals over time.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
Steven Beltran, a California resident who frequently used Meta’s smart glasses, alleges that the gadget would “falsely activate twice a day.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
This office, though quiet on this Thursday, does get used—it is not just “a museum of history,” as Gus Hall used to call it.
From Slate ● Sep. 18, 2026
The city's architects were praised for "turning one of Europe's most intensively used urban coastlines into a global blueprint for climate adaptation".
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
“Yeah. Your mom used to love this song.”
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Among adults with diabetes, the researchers found little evidence that using GLP-1 medications produced measurable changes in mental health, self-rated health, employment, or marital status.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026
People also worry that companies are using their videos and photos to build AI features without consent.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
The goal of these tactics is not to exonerate the person using them from allegations of criminality, corruption or incompetence.
From Salon ● Sep. 18, 2026
Larsson reposted part of the original clip, which then cuts to a selfie video of her using her fingers to hold an 'L' shape against her forehead.
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
Unfortunately, my plan to win it using as few tickets as possible was a miserable failure, but he did it, and that’s what counts, because that’s where I think he’s right and Mom’s wrong.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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.
