Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To put into service or employ for a purpose.
- intransitive verb To avail oneself of; practice.
- intransitive verb To conduct oneself toward; treat or handle.
- intransitive verb To seek or achieve an end by means of; exploit.
- intransitive verb To take or consume for a purpose.
- intransitive verb To partake of, especially as a habit.
- intransitive verb Used in the past tense followed by to in order to indicate a former state, habitual practice, or custom.
- intransitive verb Slang To take an illegal or narcotic drug, especially as a habit.
- noun The act of using something; the application or employment of something for a purpose.
- noun The condition or fact of being used.
- noun The manner of using; usage.
- noun The permission, privilege, or benefit of using something.
- noun The power or ability to use something.
- noun The need or occasion to use or employ something.
- noun The quality of being suitable or adaptable to an end; usefulness.
- noun A purpose for which something is used.
- noun Gain or advantage; good.
- noun Accustomed or usual procedure or practice.
- noun A particular custom or practice.
- noun Enjoyment of property, as by occupying or employing it.
- noun The benefit or profit of lands and tenements of which the legal title is vested in another.
- noun The arrangement establishing the equitable right to such benefits and profits.
- noun A liturgical form practiced in a particular church, ecclesiastical district, or community.
- idiom (make use of) To use for a purpose.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun plural Rough iron forgings sold to be subsequently worked down into finished shapes in the forge, or heating furnace, by hammer or press. They are used also for porter-bars, or to build up larger forgings not made from an ingot.
- noun The act of employing anything, or the state of being employed; employment; application; conversion to a purpose, especially a profitable purpose.
- noun That property of a thing (or character of a person) which renders it suitable for a purpose; adaptability to the attainment of an end; usefulness; availability; utility; serviceableness; service; convenience; help; profit: as, a thing of no use.
- noun Need for employing; occasion to employ; necessity; exigency; need.
- noun Continued or repeated practice or employment; custom; wont; usage; habit.
- noun Common occurrence; ordinary experience.
- noun Interest for money; usury. [Obsolete or archaic.]
- noun That part of a sermon devoted to a practical application of the doctrine expounded.
- noun In liturgics, the distinctive ritual and liturgical forms and observances, collectively and singly, of a particular church, diocese, group of dioceses, or community; as, Sarum use; Aberdeen use; Anglican use; Roman use.
- noun To have no liking for.
- noun In law, the benefit or profit (with power to direct disposal) of property—technically of lands and tenements—in the possession of another who simply holds them for the beneficiary; the equitable ownership of lands the legal title to which is in another.
- noun Charitable uses, Charitable Uses Act.
- noun In customary practice or observance.
- noun a use, confidence, or trust in any hereditaments should be deemed and adjudged in lawful seizin, estate, and possession of the same estate that he had in use—that is, that he, instead of the nominal grantee or trustee, should become the full legal owner. This principle has been adopted by provisions, known by the same title, in the legislation of most of the United States.
- To employ for the attainment of some purpose or end; avail one's self of.
- To employ; expend; consume; as, to
use flour for food; to use water for irrigation. - To practise or employ, in a general way; do, exercise, etc.
- To practise customarily; make a practice of.
- To act or behave toward; treat; as, to
use one well or ill. - To accustom; habituate; render familiar by practice; inure: common in the past participle: as, soldiers used to hardships.
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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Useful for many years to come…..use it to conceive and then use it under a crystal candy bowl on your end table.
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Useful for many years to come…..use it to conceive and then use it under a crystal candy bowl on your end table.
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«Against the swine one can use the same weapons they use».
Is The FARC A terrorist organisation ? Abhay N 2007
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Now, since the most important aspect of a thing is what we can do with it, what use it can be to us, usually meaning centers about _use_.
The Science of Human Nature A Psychology for Beginners William Henry Pyle
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Sterilise these before use by boiling, and disinfect them _after use_ by the same means.
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By proper use of the contents of this package disease may be prevented, as the action upon the germs is as effective as can be secured by the latest scientific knowledge; if exposed, _use within two hours_.
Safe Marriage A Return to Sanity Ettie A. Rout 1899
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But the innovation reached even to the commonest words in every-day use, so that _voice_ drove out _steven, poor_ drove out _earm_, and _color, use_, and _place_ made good their footing beside
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A healthy man can't use them in moderation, because _use_ is
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"For we would give much to use violent thefts," which is objectionable, not merely because it wanders from the text, but because it inserts a phrase, "to _use_ violent thefts," which is awkward and unlike Shakspeare.
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The use of every organ has been discovered by starting from the assumption _that it must have some use_.
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