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

The rise of influencers in movie marketing feels starker than it did even a decade ago as studios and films utilize anyone with a large following to promote their product.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

“They still purchase things. They still utilize equipment. They may rent things from local supply houses.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 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

And yes, Swain told me, many predictive data sources that relied on physics-based modeling now utilize a “blend” of physics-based and machine learning/artificial intelligence methods.

From Slate ● Aug. 21, 2026

"Come on and utilize another glass," I said.

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

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

Tresnjak’s production, which utilizes the 1956 adaptation by Maurice Valency, centers on the small town of Güllen, which is facing financial ruin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

SpaceX utilizes an industry-dominating launch business to support Starlink and, eventually, its artificial-intelligence wing.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026

Gleich, who was also Utah’s democratic nominee for Senate in 2024, utilizes her online platform of nearly 400,000 combined followers to raise awareness about the Stratos project.

From Salon ● Jun. 12, 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

Evans purchased the property two years after making his debut as Captain America and is understood to have utilized the gym while preparing for many of his appearances as the beloved Marvel superhero.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

“When we have had complex cases in which a patient required additional anti-venom therapy, we have utilized existing protocols to obtain additional doses from our suppliers,” the statement said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 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

Studios at the time, noted, it was also “the first time we utilized the whole machine of the company”—all the cross-marketing, product tie-ins, T-shirts and more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Such natural control needs to be utilized to the fullest extent.

From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson

If we are fully utilizing the factory, in the medium term, that will create jobs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

"The industry is utilizing less than 0.15% of Texas land," he says.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

“You can generate more volume and more applications by utilizing AI, but volume in the marketplace is not necessarily what gets you hired,” Link, SHRM’s chief human-resources officer, told MarketWatch.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 11, 2026

And much like Parsons, Hopper, and the other established columnists of the fan magazine era, there’s a push towards utilizing these same studios to further one’s brand.

From Salon ● Sep. 9, 2026

He was a natural teacher, and believed in utilizing every minute.

From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey

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