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”; 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
The safest nontoxic material options for kitchen utensil are wood and stainless steel.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2024
Some care recipients may have very limited mouth openings, measuring less than 2 centimeters, while others experience involuntary muscle spasms that can occur unexpectedly, even when the utensil is inside their mouth, Bhattacharjee said.
From Science Daily • May 9, 2024
All eyes were on the utensil, which spun as if in slow motion.
From "George" by Alex Gino
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.
