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Use
Definitions
- 1 The act of using. countable, uncountable
"The use of torture has been condemned by the United Nations."
- 2 exerting shrewd or devious influence especially for one's own advantage wordnet
- 3 The act of consuming alcohol or narcotics. uncountable
"Heavy alcohol use (2.5 drinks per day or more) at any age is unhealthy and should be avoided."
- 4 (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition wordnet
- 5 Usefulness, benefit. uncountable
"What's the use of a law that nobody follows?"
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- 6 the act of using wordnet
- 7 A function; a purpose for which something may be employed. countable, uncountable
"This tool has many uses."
- 8 what something is used for wordnet
- 9 Occasion or need to employ; necessity. countable, uncountable
"I have no further use for these textbooks."
- 10 a particular service wordnet
- 11 Interest for lent money; premium paid for the use of something; usury. countable, obsolete, rare, uncountable
"DON PEDRO. Come, lady, come; you have lost the heart of Signior Benedick. BEATRICE. Indeed, my lord, he lent it me awhile; and I gave him use for it, a double heart for a single one: [...]"
- 12 (law) the exercise of the legal right to enjoy the benefits of owning property wordnet
- 13 Continued or repeated practice; usage; habit. archaic, countable, uncountable
"Let later age that noble vse enuie,"
- 14 (economics) the utilization of economic goods to satisfy needs or in manufacturing wordnet
- 15 Common occurrence; ordinary experience. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"O Caesar! these things are beyond all use."
- 16 A special form of a rite adopted for use in a particular context, often a diocese. countable, uncountable
"the Sarum, or Canterbury, use; the York use; the Ordinariate use"
- 17 A slab of iron welded to the side of a forging, such as a shaft, near the end, and afterward drawn down, by hammering, so as to lengthen the forging. countable, uncountable
- 1 To utilize or employ.; To employ; to apply; to utilize. transitive
"Use this knife to slice the bread."
- 2 use up (resources or materials) wordnet
- 3 To utilize or employ.; To expend; to consume by employing. often, transitive, with-up
"I used the money they allotted me."
- 4 put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose wordnet
- 5 To utilize or employ.; To exploit. transitive
"You never cared about me; you just used me!"
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- 6 take or consume (regularly or habitually) wordnet
- 7 To utilize or employ.; To consume (alcohol, drugs, etc), especially regularly. transitive
"He uses cocaine."
- 8 habitually do something or be in a certain state or place (use only in the past tense) wordnet
- 9 To utilize or employ.; To consume a previously specified substance, especially a drug to which one is addicted. intransitive
"Richard began experimenting with cocaine last year; now he uses almost every day."
- 10 avail oneself to wordnet
- 11 To utilize or employ.; To benefit from; to be able to employ or stand. transitive
"I could use a drink."
- 12 seek or achieve an end by using to one's advantage wordnet
- 13 To utilize or employ.; To suggest or request that other people employ a specific set of gender pronouns when referring to the subject. transitive
"I use they/them pronouns."
- 14 To accustom; to habituate. (Now common only in participial form. Uses the same pronunciation as the noun; see usage notes.)
"soldiers who are used to hardships and danger"
- 15 To accustom; to habituate. (Now common only in participial form. Uses the same pronunciation as the noun; see usage notes.); To accustom oneself. obsolete, reflexive
"It is not without some difficulty, that a man born in society can form an idea of such savages, and their condition; and unless he has used himself to abstract thinking, he can hardly represent to himself such a state of simplicity, in which man can have so few desires, and no appetites roving beyond the immediate call of untaught nature […]"
- 16 To habitually do; to be wont to do. (Now chiefly in past-tense forms; see used to.) intransitive
"I used to get things done."
- 17 To behave toward; to act with regard to; to treat. dated
"to use an animal cruelly"
- 18 To behave, act, comport oneself. obsolete, reflexive
"1551, Thomas More, Utopia, London: B. Alsop & T. Fawcet, 1639, “Of Bond-men, Sicke persons, Wedlocke, and divers other matters,” page 231, They live together lovingly: For no Magistrate is either haughty or fearefull. Fathers they be called, and like fathers they use themselves."
Etymology
Noun from Middle English use, from Old French us, from Latin ūsus (“use, custom, skill, habit”), from past participle stem of ūtor (“use”). Displaced native Middle English note (“use”) (see note) from Old English notu, Middle English nutte (“use”) from Old English nytt, Old English fricu, and Old English sidu. Verb from Middle English usen, from Old French user (“use, employ, practice”), from Medieval Latin usare (“use”), frequentative form of past participle stem of Latin uti (“to use”). Displaced native Middle English noten, nutten (“to use”) (from Old English notian, nēotan, nyttian) and Middle English brouken, bruken (“to use, enjoy”) (from Old English brūcan).
Noun from Middle English use, from Old French us, from Latin ūsus (“use, custom, skill, habit”), from past participle stem of ūtor (“use”). Displaced native Middle English note (“use”) (see note) from Old English notu, Middle English nutte (“use”) from Old English nytt, Old English fricu, and Old English sidu. Verb from Middle English usen, from Old French user (“use, employ, practice”), from Medieval Latin usare (“use”), frequentative form of past participle stem of Latin uti (“to use”). Displaced native Middle English noten, nutten (“to use”) (from Old English notian, nēotan, nyttian) and Middle English brouken, bruken (“to use, enjoy”) (from Old English brūcan).
See also for "use"
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