use
Americanverb (used with object)
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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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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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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:
Too pragmatic, poor use of substitutes, sitting back too deep and when faced with their first real big opponent of the tournament, a crushing defeat.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
Besides paying for capped-call transactions, the company said it would use proceeds from the bond sale to secure additional access to orbital launches.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
Young drivers use dashcams to film their daily drives—and occasional near-misses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Yet I’ve spared no expense on what I find a more refined sound system in my Volvo, which I now use more and more for audio books than music.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
His therapist would let him use different instruments to express feelings of anger, joy, and just about everything in between.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
The command, which oversees U.S. forces in the Middle East, has been largely focused on taking out missile and drone facilities as well as other sites that Iran uses to threaten shipping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Changes in movement can also affect how much energy an animal uses and whether it can reach food, shelter, or other important resources.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 15, 2026
That’s one of the great things about Letterboxd: Everyone uses it differently, and those variations reflect a wide array of tastes in film.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
It carries about one petawatt of heat northwards - roughly 50 times the total energy humanity uses.
From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026
Dad uses his rock hammer to explore a ten-by-ten-centimeter area.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
She also used AI images based on Davies' likeness, and used the fake profiles to strike up real-life romantic relationships.
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
The Prologue appealed to buyers who were used to Honda’s fuel-efficient and hybrid cars and wanted to move on from gasoline entirely—and were enticed by its low-cost lease deals.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
Audiophiles well know that you get used to new equipment, no matter how revelatory it first sounds, very quickly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
Nearly 6 in 10 builders also used sales incentives to try to entice buyers, such as offering money towards buyers’ closing costs, or upgrades such as a free washer and dryer.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
They’d been working for only half an hour, but despite this, he found that his stamina was not what it used to be.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
But due to much of this World Cup using existing stadia, hotels, training complexes and travel infrastructure, "there won't be any economic benefits from development".
From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026
“Some companies are using very, very high doses,” said Dr. Sandhya Prashad, president of the American Society of Ketamine Physicians, Psychotherapists & Practitioners, and a psychiatrist in Texas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
It involves a choreographed routine involving elements of gymnastics and traditional dressage performed while using a “hobby horse” — a stuffed horse head on a stick.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
A US soldier is facing federal charges for using classified information to bet on online prediction markets related to the operation in January to capture former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
We’re using my phone number bc it’s easier to remember.
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.
