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Synonyms

utilize

American

[yoot-l-ahyz] / ˈjut lˌaɪz /

especially British, utilise

verb (used with object)

to put to use; turn to profitable account.

to utilize a stream to power a mill.

utilize British

/ ˈjuːtɪˌlaɪz /

verb

(tr) to make practical or worthwhile use of

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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

Inflected Forms

Participles

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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.

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

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:

utilize utilizes utilized utilizing

I learned to appreciate where my food came from and how to utilize every ingredient and part of the animal.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 20, 2026

“We hoped that providing data around how much someone saves using a public service would give patrons a sense of ownership to utilize their local library,” Lipinski told me.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2026

There were other features in the app that I didn’t fully utilize, like journal prompts, mood trackers, meditations, and more.

From Slate ● Sep. 6, 2026

“Treasury is not going to utilize its entire rainy day fund to fund its buyback program. This is not exactly Draghi-esque, a do-whatever-it-takes moment. This is not Ben Bernanke’s bazooka,” Brusuelas said.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 24, 2026

“Now then, Charles,” said Mr. Lemoncello, “would you like to utilize any of your remaining lifelines? Perhaps an Extreme Challenge? An Ask an Expert?”

From "Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library" by Chris Grabenstein

The onboard AI utilizes computer vision, allowing the drone to analyze images from its onboard sensors.

From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026

But Mr. Tommasini also utilizes more recent academic scholarship, as well as personal interviews with individuals such as the opera star Leontyne Price, who viewed Anderson as a role model.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Flatbed trucking, which utilizes trailers with no roof or sides to haul heavy and often odd-size equipment, are at the center of the data-center boom.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 28, 2026

Argentine choreographer Gabriela Carrizo makes her debut directing opera and utilizes her alarmingly vibrant Belgian dance company, Peeping Tom.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026

The basic approach utilizes discovery in terms of music learning, and also is synchronous with many of the 21st-century learning approaches discussed in Chapter 1.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Fontaine maintained the best evaluations come when scouting is utilized along with numbers.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026

Mitchell referenced a county report that detailed financial difficulties in some municipalities that utilized binding arbitration.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

It’s because Morello is a musical polymath who has utilized his fame to allow himself to make whatever kind of music he wants to be making.

From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026

But, he says, “I do think it’s fair to note that we have seemingly changed our general perceptions about whether major index options are better utilized as tools for speculation rather than risk management.”

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 7, 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

Another Facebook user posted an image of Waymos utilizing chargers at an Electrify America Station in St. Louis.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026

Bloom is a behind-the-meter power generator utilizing fuel cells, while Solaris, also an onsite power developer, uses natural gas-powered turbines and other equipment.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

And then there’s Sen. Jon Husted, utilizing all the glute strength he can muster to fend off a challenge from Democratic ex-Sen.

From Slate ● Oct. 24, 2026

U.S. farmers are increasingly utilizing drones to spray their farmland, says the American Farm Bureau Federation in a note.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 19, 2026

I phoned Landsdoff at the New Institute for Advanced Study, about the possibility of utilizing the pair-production nuclear photoeffect for exploratory work in biophysics.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023