utilize
Americanverb (used with object)
verb
Usage
What is another way to say utilize? To utilize something is to put it to use or turn it to profitable account. How is utilize different from use? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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utilizationnoun
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utilizernoun
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overutilizeverb (used with object)
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preutilizeverb (used with object)
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reutilizeverb (used with object)
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half-utilizedadjective
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nonutilizedadjective
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preutilizableadjective
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quasi-utilizedadjective
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underutilizedadjective
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unutilizableadjective
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unutilizedadjective
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utilizableadjective
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well-utilizedadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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utilizesimple
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utilizessimple
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have utilizedperfect
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has utilizedperfect
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am utilizingprogressive
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are utilizingprogressive
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is utilizingprogressive
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have been utilizingperfect progressive
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has been utilizingperfect progressive
Past
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utilizedsimple
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had utilizedperfect
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was utilizingprogressive
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were utilizingprogressive
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had been utilizingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of utilize
First recorded in 1800–10; from French utiliser, equivalent to utile “useful” ( see utile) + -iser -ize
Explanation
To utilize is to use what you have or what's available, and it's a three-syllable word meaning the same thing as the one-syllable "use." The word utilize is often a more formal way to express "putting something to use." If you don’t have time to go to the store but you need to come up with a science project, you might utilize what's already in the kitchen. Most of the time you can use the verb use as a synonym for utilize. You can utilize a shorter word to make a sentence easier to read.
Vocabulary lists containing utilize
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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"Creativity at Work" and "The Hidden Secrets of the Creative Mind"
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Content Summary 4.1: Causes and Consequences of Iberian Maritime Exploration and Colonialism
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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.
See Examples For:
“Kimi will generate more use cases” for AI as developers utilize the model’s lower-cost structure, Sen believes, increasing demand for inference as well.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
"We are working to develop medications that may help the brain better utilize these nutrients to preserve cognitive function."
From Science Daily ● Jun. 29, 2026
“That is a tool for officers to utilize to get people into a system of care,” Weiner said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
VPNs that utilize modern protocols, such as WireGuard or Lightway, offer faster and more stable performance.
From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026
"I say. You know this does utilize well."
From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway
SpaceX utilizes an industry-dominating launch business to support Starlink and, eventually, its artificial-intelligence wing.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
Base44, which saw outsized demand in the quarter, utilizes AI.
From Barron's ● May 13, 2026
The county typically utilizes such cellphone blasts for evacuation warnings or orders, but Vaquero felt strongly that meteorologists were describing a situation that could quickly become catastrophic.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 24, 2026
Xfinity’s first-ever Big Game bid utilizes de-aging software to bring Jurassic Park stars Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, and Sam Neill back to the ’90s.
From Slate ● Feb. 8, 2026
Jazz standard song form — Jazz utilizes many different forms, but one very common form is closely related to the strophic and variation forms.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
The photographic technologies utilized begin with daguerreotypes and include stereoscopic prints, a cyanotype, gelatin silver prints, large-format chromogenic works and images created with digital manipulation, neatly demonstrating the show’s long time span.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
“The U.S. has, for a whole variety of reasons, never utilized a technical ‘dead man’s switch,'” historian Garrett Graff, an expert on continuity of government, told the Associated Press.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
Federal officials did not disclose the specific nature of the anti-drone jamming and remote grabbing technology that probably would be utilized.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 1, 2026
It takes years for the infrastructure to be fully utilized, productivity to increase and profits to emerge.
From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026
Since Dad thought eating was a form of unavoidable delay, he utilized the dinner hour as an instruction period.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
The foundation recommended ballot curing programs that speed up the process by utilizing a secure text platform when double checking whether a ballot is legitimate when a voter’s signature doesn’t match state records.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
OpenAI introduced its custom AI processor, “Jalapeño,” designed for AI inference, utilizing Broadcom silicon and Celestica rack tech.
From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026
McDonald Carheel, who runs his own workforce development business, gave a presentation on utilizing artificial intelligence to help find jobs and create business plans.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
It also plays homage to previous Gorillaz collaborators who have departed by utilizing unused or alternate takes from past projects.
From Salon ● Jun. 5, 2026
It’s just that some environments provide more starting materials, and more favorable conditions for utilizing inventions, than do other environments.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
