utilize
verb (used with object)
to put to use; turn to profitable account.
were utilizing
-
past progressiveof utilize.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
About 105 people, many of them elderly, medically vulnerable or young, were utilizing shelter services that afternoon, according to the American Red Cross of Alaska.
From Seattle Times ● Jun. 14, 2022
“When we deployed shame, we were utilizing an immensely powerful tool,” he writes of his initial reaction: “The silenced were getting a voice. It was like the democratization of justice.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 17, 2015
Columns of massive apartment and office buildings rose in every direction from the Yangtze River; I doubt they were utilizing the latest in insulation.
From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2014
"At the time of the Valdez spill, we were utilizing booming and dispersants and controlled burns -- the same three major techniques as now."
From Washington Post ● May 3, 2010
They were utilizing the camaraderie of prestige and the intimacy of a common emotion to impress themselves upon the greater dignitaries.
From Gargoyles by Ben Hecht
