utensil
Americannoun
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any of the instruments or vessels commonly used in a kitchen, dairy, etc..
eating utensils; baking utensils.
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any instrument, vessel, or tool serving a useful purpose.
smoking utensils; fishing utensils; farming utensils.
noun
Usage
What are other ways to say utensil? A utensil refers to any instrument or vessel serving a useful purpose, especially those commonly used in a kitchen. When should you use this noun over tool, instrument, or implement? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Etymology
Origin of utensil
First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English (collective singular): “household articles,” from Middle French utensile, from Latin ūtēnsilia, neuter plural of ūtēnsilis “useful,” derivative of ūtī “to use”; see origin at use
Explanation
A utensil is a tool you can hold in your hand and use around the house. In the kitchen, common utensils are the knives, forks, and spoons that we hold in our hands and use to eat. The word utensil comes from the Latin utensilia meaning "things for use." A pen is a writing utensil. A spatula is a cooking utensil. A scrub brush is a cleaning utensil. A knife is a cutting utensil. All of these objects can be held in your hand and are used to get something done.
Vocabulary lists containing utensil
Pestle, Sieve, and Whisk: Useful Words for Cooking Tools
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English Words Derived from French, List 3
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"Earthquake"
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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.
Watching them is like being spoonfed by the streamer’s CEO, Ted Sarandos, who, by pioneering this content model, is waving a utensil in front of us like an airplane coming in for a landing.
From Salon • Jan. 25, 2026
In fall 2024, many of us were ridding our kitchens of a very common utensil, thanks to a piece in the Atlantic that instructed us to, “Throw Out Your Black Plastic Spatula.”
From Slate • Jan. 14, 2026
Named zeug after the German word for “stuff,” the utensil is a mediator for the intimacy of the hand-to-mouth gesture.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2024
This allows for precise detection of the mouth and overcomes any visual obstructions caused by the utensil itself, researchers said.
From Science Daily • May 9, 2024
“I think you officially have every baking utensil ever invented,” Papa said, looking at the clutter of the kitchen.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
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.
