Showing Results for "used"

See Also:

• past tense form of use.
• past participle of use.

used

American  

[yoozd, yoost] / yuzd, yust /

adjective

1. previously used or owned; secondhand.

   a used car.

2. showing wear or being worn out.

   a thrift store that accepts used clothing.

3. employed for a purpose; utilized.

   a frequently used dictionary.

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idioms

1. used to, accustomed or habituated to.

   I'm not used to cold weather. They weren't used to getting up so early.

used British  

/ juːzd /

adjective

1. bought or sold second-hand

   used cars

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used More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing used

• it takes getting used to
• use

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Usage

What is another way to say used? Something that is used has been employed for a purpose or previously owned. Used is the past participle of the general verb use. Do you know the difference between use and utilize? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• half-used
  adjective
• well-used
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of used

First recorded in 1325–75; use + -ed ²

Explanation

If something is used, that means it has been owned by someone else. If you buy used textbooks, that means they’re not new — someone else owned them and read them before you did. If you sell used cars, that means you’re selling cars that have already had at least one owner. Used can also describe things that have already served their purpose. Used batteries aren't good anymore: their power has been used up. People can also be used, and in this sense the word means “taken advantage of.” You might feel used by your neighbor if she's only nice to you when she needs you to water her plants.

Example Sentences

The drug, used to treat various blood cancers, like chronic lymphocytic leukemia, is Nurix’s investigational tyrosine kinase degrader that eliminates disease-causing proteins.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026

SK Group chair Chey Tae-won last week vowed to double production capacity of silicon wafers used to make memory chips.

From Barron's • Jun. 8, 2026

She added that the film festival is a “forum that is meant to spark dialogue” and that Jewish comedians throughout history have used humor as a way to cope with anti-Semitism.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 7, 2026

Albon and hundreds of other men have used Facebook to connect with women looking for sperm - some groups have up to 40,000 members.

From BBC • Jun. 7, 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