utensil

American  

[yoo-ten-suhl] / juˈtɛn səl /

noun

• utensils
  plural

1. any of the instruments or vessels commonly used in a kitchen, dairy, etc..

   eating utensils; baking utensils.

2. any instrument, vessel, or tool serving a useful purpose.

   smoking utensils; fishing utensils; farming utensils.

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utensil British  

/ juːˈtɛnsəl /

noun

1. an implement, tool, or container for practical use

   writing utensils

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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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• utensils
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

utensil utensils

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 mouth tracking method -- trained on thousands of images featuring various participants' head poses and facial expressions -- combines data from two cameras positioned above and below the utensil.

From Science Daily ● May 9, 2024

The utensil drawer in “Blueberries for Sal” holds Pete Cowdin’s mother’s egg whisk alongside a jar containing a baby tooth that belonged to Cowdin and Pettid’s oldest daughter, Sally.

From New York Times ● Apr. 1, 2024

“I had quite an accident last week, lucky to be alive, really. But the thing’s almost fixed. Which utensil did you say you were interested in?”

From "A Tangle of Knots" by Lisa Graff

"They stole everything: our clothes, shoes, utensils, pots, cups, glasses."

From Barron's ● Jun. 28, 2026

The agents—measuring about 6-foot-3, dressed in identical dark suits—were observed grabbing Xi’s utensils and plate and spraying them with an unidentified liquid.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 27, 2026

The virus can spread through close contact with someone who is infected, such as by sharing food or eating utensils.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026

Signs of civilian life, including a children's colouring book, paintings and cooking utensils, were among the debris.

From BBC ● Mar. 7, 2026

They had mules loaded down with things to eat, oxcarts with furniture and domestic utensils, pure and simple earthly accessories put on sale without any fuss by peddlers of everyday reality.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Related Words

• appliance
• equipment
• fork
• gadget
• instrument
• knife
• silverware
• tableware
• ware