use

(yūz)

v., used, us·ing, us·es.

v.tr.

1. To put into service or apply for a purpose; employ.
2. To avail oneself of; practice: use caution.
3. To conduct oneself toward; treat or handle: "the peace offering of a man who once used you unkindly" (Laurence Sterne).
4. To seek or achieve an end by means of; exploit: used their highly placed friends to gain access to the president; felt he was being used by seekers of favor.
5. To take or consume; partake of: She rarely used alcohol.

v.intr. (yūs, yūst)
Used in the past tense followed by to in order to indicate a former state, habitual practice, or custom: Mail service used to be faster.

n. (yūs)

1. 1. The act of using; the application or employment of something for a purpose: with the use of a calculator; skilled in the use of the bow and arrow.
   2. The condition or fact of being used: a chair in regular use.
2. The manner of using; usage: learned the proper use of power tools.
3. 1. The permission, privilege, or benefit of using something: gave us the use of their summerhouse.
   2. The power or ability to use something: lost the use of one arm.
4. The need or occasion to use or employ: have no use for these old clothes.
5. The quality of being suitable or adaptable to an end; usefulness: tried to be of use in the kitchen.
6. A purpose for which something is used: a tool with several uses; a pretty bowl, but of what use is it?
7. Gain or advantage; good: There's no use in discussing it. What's the use?
8. Accustomed or usual procedure or practice.
9. Law.
   1. Enjoyment of property, as by occupying or exercising it.
   2. The benefit or profit of lands and tenements of which the legal title and possession are vested in another.
   3. The arrangement establishing the equitable right to such benefits and profits.
10. A liturgical form practiced in a particular church, ecclesiastical district, or community.
11. Obsolete. Usual occurrence or experience.

phrasal verb:

use up

1. To consume completely: used up all our money.

[Middle English usen, from Old French user, from Vulgar Latin *ūsāre, frequentative of Latin ūtī. N., Middle English, from Old French us, from Latin ūsus, from past participle of ūtī.]

SYNONYMS   use, employ, utilize. These verbs mean to avail oneself of someone or something in order to make him, her, or it useful, functional, or beneficial. To use is to put into service or apply for a purpose: uses a hearing aid; used the press secretary as spokesperson; using a stick to stir the paint. Employ is often interchangeable with use: She employed her education to maximum advantage. It can also denote engaging or maintaining the services of another: "When men are employed, they are best contented" (Benjamin Franklin). Utilize is especially appropriate in the narrower sense of making something profitable or of finding new and practical uses for it: Waterpower was once widely utilized to generate electricity. See also synonyms at habit.

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1. The transitive verb meaning 'to make use of' is pronounced yooz and the past form is used (yoozd). The corresponding noun use is pronounced yoos.

2. Used is pronounced yoost and followed by to in a number of special constructions:

• Be or become or get used to + noun or verbal noun means 'be (etc.) accustomed to or familiar with': She had got used to the sissy...thin-blooded climate of Auckland—D. M. Davin, 1986 / He still isn't used to her being old enough to drive—New Yorker, 1987 / He...became used to collectors visiting the family home in the early 1950s to record his mother's folk songs—Independent, 2007.
• Use to (usually in the form used to or had used to) + infinitive refers to what happened or existed in the past but does no longer at the time referred to: She had used to squat with old Mataka on the ground—Muriel Spark, 1969 / I know what you're thinking, Patrick, and I used to think it too—Kingsley Amis, 1988. Negatives and questions are formed with do + the use form (What time did she use to return?—L. Thomas, 1972 / I didn't use to curse or swear at them—M. Brogden, 1991) or, with somewhat more formal effect, directly with not or by inversion in the manner of the semi-modal verbs dare and need (I used not to dream—Nina Bawden, 1987 / She used not to be so censorious of others' behaviour—T. Barnes, 1991). The form usedn't (or usen't) is also found in casual English but is less suitable in more formal contexts.

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1. Banking. The ability to draw from a bank line of credit or loan.

2. Trusts. An informal agreement giving beneficial ownership of property legally owned by another person; the forerunner of the modern Trust. Differs from nominal ownership of property put in the care of a Trustee for enjoyment by the Beneficiary named in a trust.

also use up

verb

1. To put into action or use: actuate, apply, employ, exercise, exploit, implement, practice, utilize. Idioms: avail oneself of, bring into play, bring to bear, make use of, put into practice, put to use. See used/unused.
2. To control or direct the functioning of: manage, operate, run, work. See control/uncontrol.
3. To take advantage of unfairly: abuse, exploit, impose, presume. See treat well/treat badly/treat.

phrasal verb - use up

1. To use all of: consume, drain, draw down, eat up, exhaust, expend, finish, play out, run through, spend. Informal polish off. See increase/decrease.
2. To lessen or weaken severely, as by removing something essential: deplete, drain, exhaust, impoverish, sap². See give/take/reciprocity, increase/decrease, rich/poor.

noun

1. The act of putting into play: application, employment, exercise, exertion, implementation, operation, play, usage, utilization. See used/unused.
2. The condition of being put to use: application, duty, employment, service, utilization. See used/unused.
3. A quantity consumed: consumption, usage. See give/take/reciprocity, used/unused.
4. The quality of being suitable or adaptable to an end: account, advantage, avail, benefit, profit, usefulness, utility. See used/unused.
5. A habitual way of behaving: consuetude, custom, habit, habitude, manner, practice, praxis, usage, usance, way, wont. See usual/unusual.

Idioms beginning with use:
used
use one's head

See also have no use for; make use of; no use; put to good use. Also see under used.

v

Definition: work with; consume
Antonyms: abstain, leave alone

(of words) The slogan that ‘meaning is use’ is associated with the later philosophy of Wittgenstein. It has affinities with the claims of pragmatism, that the meaning of a sign consists in the set of practices following upon ‘acceptance of the symbol’. The difficulty is to characterize use in a sufficiently general way: no advantage over traditional ideas is gained if it is said, for instance, that the use of a predicate is to refer to a universal, or the use of a sentence is to express an associated proposition. A useful framework due to Sellars divides use into three parts: there are ‘entry rules’, describing the kinds of situation justifying application of a term, ‘exit rules’, describing the practical consequences of accepting the application of the term, and transformation rules taking us to other linguistic applications that themselves bear definite relations to the term.

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

The fact of being habitually employed in a certain manner. In real property law, a right held by an individual (called a cestui que use) to take the profits arising from a particular parcel of land that was owned and possessed by another individual.

For example, a seller of goods might make an implied warranty of fitness for a particular use, which signifies that an item or a product is fit to be used for a specific purpose, such as a tire meant for use in the snow.

The cestui que use received the benefits from the property even though title to such land was in another individual. This theory is no longer part of the U.S. legal system; however, the modern law of trusts evolved from the law relating to uses.

See: product liability.

sign description: The U-hand makes a circular motion at the wrist of the opposite hand.

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verb
verb

1: intr. To take drugs. (1953 —) .
K. Orvis Almost twenty-four hours...since I've had a fix....Are you the only one?...You forget I use, too (1962).

2: could use would be glad to have; would be improved by having. (1956 —) .
R. Godden 'I could use a gin,' said Bella (1961). Hence user, noun One who takes drugs regularly. (1935 —) .
Easyriders No boozers or heavy users (1983).

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For a list of words related to use, see:

• Broadcast Journalism - use: television appearance by legally qualified political candidate
• Strategy and Tactics - use: (vb) manipulate; take advantage of

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See words rhyming with "use."

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Common misspelling(s) of use

• uise

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - bruge, anvende, benytte, gøre brug af, udnytte
v. intr. - anvendelse
n. - brug, anvendelse, benyttelse, nytte, skik

idioms:

• come into use    komme i brug, blive almindelig
• for the use of    til brug for
• has its uses    har sine anvendelseområder
• have a use for    have brug for, finde anvendelse for
• have no use for    ikke have brug for, foragte, ikke ønske at have noget at gøre med, ikke bryde sig om
• have the use of    have adgang til, have mulighed for
• make use of    gøre brug af, anvende, udnytte
• no use    nyttesløst
• of use    anvendelig, brugbar
• out of use    ude af brug
• put to use    tage i brug, tage i anvendelse
• use a person's name    henvise til en person
• use and wont    skik og brug
• use up    bruge op
• use-by date    "anvendes inden"-dato
• What's the use?    Hvad skal det gøre godt for?, Hvad nytter det?

Nederlands (Dutch)
gebruiken, opgebruiken, gebruik maken van, zich bedienen van, bejegenen, gebruiken/verslaafd zijn, gebruik(making), beschikking, usantie, nut, opbrengst, ritueel

Français (French)
v. tr. - se servir de, utiliser, employer, profiter de, saisir, faire jouer (son influence), avoir recours à, consommer, se servir de (qn) (péj), prendre (qch) de manière habituelle, traiter (qn) (arch)
v. intr. - se droguer, prendre de manière habituelle, être habitué, épuiser
n. - emploi, utilisation, usage, consommation, disposition, utilité, usage de (maison, voiture), jouissance de (d'un jardin)

idioms:

• be no use    ne servir à rien
• come into use    entrer en usage
• for the use of    à l'usage de
• have a use for    avoir une utilité/un usage, servir à
• have no use for    ne pas avoir besoin de, ne pas se servir de, n'avoir que faire de, embêter (qn)
• have the use of    avoir libre accès à
• make use of    faire usage de
• of use    servir, (être) utile
• out of use    hors d'usage, qui ne s'emploie plus, inusité, en dérangement
• put to use    mettre en marche, utiliser, faire fonctionner
• to have its uses    avoir son utilité
• use a person's name    utiliser le nom d'une personne, donner le nom d'une personne comme (référence)
• use and wont    usage établi
• use up    finir, utiliser, dépenser (argent), épuiser (des provisions)
• use-by date    date de péremption, date limite de consommation
• What's the use?    A quoi bon ?

Deutsch (German)
v. - benutzen, gebrauchen, verwenden, anwenden, nutzen, verbrauchen, behandeln, einsetzen
n. - Benutzung, Gebrauch, Verwendung, Brauch, Nutzen, Verwendungszweck

idioms:

• be no use    nutzlos
• come into use    in Gebrauch kommen
• for the use of    für jmdn.
• have a use for    für etw./jmdn. Verwendung haben
• have no use for    etw./jmdn. nicht brauchen, (fig) nichts für etw./jmdn. übrig haben
• have the use of    etwas benutzen können
• make use of    Gebrauch machen von
• of use    nützlich
• out of use    außer Betrieb, nicht gebräuchlich
• put to use    etwas verwenden
• to have its uses    seinen Nutzen haben
• use a person's name    sich auf jmdn. berufen
• use and wont    etablierter Brauch, Sitte und Gewohnheit
• use up    aufbrauchen, erschöpfen
• use-by date    bis zum (Datum) verwenden, Verfallsdatum
• What's the use?    was nützt es

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - χρησιμοποιώ, κάνω χρήση, μεταχειρίζομαι, τελειώνω, εξαντλώ, αναλώνω
n. - χρήση, χρησιμοποίηση, συνήθεια, έθιμο, τακτική ή συνήθης χρήση, χρησιμότητα, ωφέλεια, σκοπός, όφελος, αξία

idioms:

• come into use    μπαίνω σε χρήση, αρχίζω να χρησιμοποιούμαι
• for the use of    προς χρήση από
• has its uses    έχει τη χρησιμότητά του
• have a use for    έχω κάτι να το κάνω
• have no use for    δεν έχω ανάγκη, δεν χρειάζομαι
• have the use of    έχω δικαίωμα χρήσης, χρησιμοποιώ
• make use of    κάνω χρήση του, χρησιμοποιώ
• no use    ανώφελο, μάταιο
• of use    χρήσιμος
• out of use    σε αχρηστία, εκτός χρήσεως
• put to use    χρησιμοποιώ, θέτω σε χρήση
• use a person's name    αναφέρω ως αυθεντία
• use and wont    καθιερωμένη χρήση
• use up    αναλώνω, τελειώνω, εξαντλώ
• use-by date    ημερομηνία λήξης
• What's the use?    τι σημασία έχει; ποιο το όφελος;

Italiano (Italian)
usare, servirsi di, esaurire, impiego, uso, utilizzo

idioms:

• "It's/There's no use"    E'tutto inutile"
• "What's the use?"    "A che scopo?"
• for the use of    per l'uso di
• has its uses    può servire
• have a/no use for    (non) saper che fare di
• have the use of    servirsi di
• make use of    valersi di
• no use    non serve
• of use    utile
• out of use    caduto in disuso
• put to use    utilizzare
• use a person's name    sfruttare il nome di
• use and wont    uso e costume
• use-by date    data finale di utilizzo

Português (Portuguese)
v. - usar, exercer, mostrar
n. - uso (m), emprego (m), utilização (f)

idioms:

• "What's the use?"    De que serve?
• come into use    entrar em uso
• for the use of    para uso de
• has its uses    tem sua utilidade
• have a/no use for    precisar ou não de
• have the use of    ter o uso de
• make use of    empregar, servir-se de
• no use    para que?, inútil
• of use    de uso
• out of use    sem uso, desusado
• put to use    utilizar, aproveitar
• use a person's name    usar o nome de uma pessoa
• use and wont    uso e costume
• use up    gastar, consumir, esgotar
• use-by date    usar até tal data

Русский (Russian)
употреблять, пользоваться, использовать, расходовать, обращаться (с), употребление, применение, способность пользования (чем-л.), польза, потребление

idioms:

• "What's the use?"    "Какой смысл"
• come into use    входить в обращение
• for the use of    (предназначен) для
• has its uses    применяется (для)
• have a/no use for    быть (не)нужным, не переносить что-л.
• have the use of    применяется в качестве
• make use of    использовать кого-л./что-л. в своих целях
• no use    не имеет смысла
• of use    полезен
• out of use    (вышел) из употребления
• put to use    найти применение
• use a person's name    ссылаться на кого-л.
• use and wont    обычная практика
• use up    израсходовать до конца, истощить, истощиться
• use-by date    годен до

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - usar, emplear, hacer uso de, consumir, gastar, desgastar, tratar, portarse con, proceder con
v. intr. - soler, acostumbrar
n. - uso, empleo, aplicación, costumbre, práctica, usufructo, utilidad, finalidad, rito, liturgia, consumo, gasto, disposición

idioms:

• be no use    inútil, no servir para nada, inservible, fuera de uso
• come into use    ponerse de moda
• for the use of    para el uso de
• have a use for    necesitar algo
• have no use for    no necesitar algo, desagrada
• have the use of    poder hacer uso de, tener libre acceso a
• make use of    hacer uso de, valerse de
• of use    servir, útil
• out of use    en desuso
• put to use    poner en servicio, utilizar
• to have its uses    para algo sirve, a veces sirve
• use a person's name    dar el nombre de alguien como referencia
• use and wont    costumbre enraizada
• use up    agotar, consumir
• use-by date    fecha de caducidad
• What's the use?    ¿para qué?, para qué sirve?

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - använda, begagna, bruka, nyttja, anlita, förbruka
n. - användning, begagnande, bruk

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
使用, 运用, 利用, 惯常, 价值, 习惯

idioms:

• come into use    开始被使用
• for the use of    应要求, 供...应用
• has its uses    有它的用途
• have a use for    有...的用途, 需要
• have no use for    不需要, 不喜欢, 用不着
• have the use of    有使用...的权利
• make use of    利用
• no use    没用处的, 无益的
• of use    有用
• out of use    不被使用, 废弃
• put to use    使用, 利用
• use a person's name    用某人的名义, 以某人的名义
• use and wont    习惯, 惯例
• use up    用完, 耗尽
• use-by date    使用截至期限
• What's the use?    有什么用?, 有什么意义

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 使用, 運用, 利用
v. intr. - 慣常
n. - 使用, 價值, 習慣

idioms:

• come into use    開始被使用
• for the use of    應要求, 供...應用
• has its uses    有它的用途
• have a use for    有...的用途, 需要
• have no use for    不需要, 不喜歡, 用不著
• have the use of    有使用...的權利
• make use of    利用
• no use    沒用處的, 無益的
• of use    有用
• out of use    不被使用, 廢棄
• put to use    使用, 利用
• use a person's name    用某人的名義, 以某人的名義
• use and wont    習慣, 慣例
• use up    用完, 耗盡
• use-by date    使用截至期限
• What's the use?    有什麼用?, 有什麼意義

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 이용하다, (폭력 등을) 쓰다, 소비하다
v. intr. - 항상~하다
n. - 사용 , 사용권, 유용

idioms:

• come into use    ~에 쓰이게 되다, 이용하게 되다
• have a use for    ~에 쓸모가 있다
• have no use for    ~은 필요가 없다, ~은 소용이 없다
• have the use of    ~하는 습관이 있다
• make use of    ~을 사용하다
• put to use    사용하다, ~을 쓰다
• use up    몽땅 써버리다, 소모하다
• What's the use%?    무슨 소용이 있습니까%?

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 使用, 利用, 用途, 使用する権利, 使用する能力, 効用, 使用権, 儀式, 慣習
v. - 使う, 利用する, 働かせる, 扱う, 消費する

idioms:

• come into use    使われるようになる
• for the use of    使うために
• has its uses    使い道がある
• have a/no use for    必要がない, …は嫌い
• have the use of    権利がある
• make use of    使用する, 利用する
• no use    役にたたない
• no use to man or beast    全然役にたたない
• of use    役に立つ
• out of use    用いられていない
• put to use    用いる, 利用する
• use a person's name    名前を引用する
• use a sledgehammer to crack a nut    鶏を割くに牛刀を用いる
• use and wont    慣習
• use one's own initiative    自分自身で決める
• use up    使い果たす, 疲れ果てさせる
• What's the use?    それがなんの役に立つのか?

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) استعمل, استخدم, تعود, انتفع ب (الاسم) استعمال, استخدام, انتفاع ب, افادة‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮השתמש ב-, ניצל, צרך, כילה, התייחס ל-, נהג‬
v. intr. - ‮היה רגיל ל-‬
n. - ‮שימוש, שימושיות, ניצול, תועלת, טעם, תכלית, יתרון, מנהג‬

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