Synonyms for use

verb

  1. To make use of

    avail oneself of, employ, put to use, exercise, exert, put forth, utilize, apply, bring to bear, practice, play on, do with, draw on, adopt, take advantage of, turn to account, make do, accept, work, put in practice, relate, make with, put to work, make shift with.

    Antonyms discard*, reject, refuse*.

  2. To make a practice of; now only in the past tense with an infinitive

    be accustomed to, practice, do.

  3. To behave toward

    deal with, handle, bear oneself toward; see manage 1.

use implies the putting of a thing (or, usually in an opprobrious sense, a person regarded as a passive thing) into action or service so as to accomplish an end to use a pencil, a suggestion, etc.; he used his brother to advance himself; employ, a somewhat more elevated term, implies the putting to useful work of something not in use at that moment to employ a vacant lot as a playground and, with reference to persons, suggests a providing of work and pay she employs five accountants; utilize implies the putting of something to a practical or profitable use to utilize chemical byproducts

noun

  1. The act of using

    practice, employment, application, usage, appliance, effecting, adoption, utilization, manipulation, bringing to bear, management, handling, performance, conduct, recourse, resort, exercise, treatment, method, technique, control, resolution, realization, association.

    Antonyms neglect*, disuse, dismissal.

  2. The state of being useful

    utility, usefulness, usability, employment, application, value, worth, advantage, excellence, helpfulness, convenience, suitability, expedience, aid, serviceability, merit, profit, practicability, practicality, stead, fitness, subservience, effectiveness, applicability.

See use in Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus II


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
  2. To control or direct the functioning of:

    manage, operate, run, work. See control
  3. To take advantage of unfairly:

    abuse, exploit, impose, presume. See treat well
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
  2. To lessen or weaken severely, as by removing something essential:

    deplete, drain, exhaust, impoverish, sap2. See give, increase, rich
noun
  1. The act of putting into play:

    application, employment, exercise, exertion, implementation, operation, play, usage, utilization. See used
  2. The condition of being put to use:

    application, duty, employment, service, utilization. See used
  3. A quantity consumed:

    consumption, usage. See give, used
  4. The quality of being suitable or adaptable to an end:

    account, advantage, avail, benefit, profit, usefulness, utility. See used
  5. A habitual way of behaving:

    consuetude, custom, habit, habitude, manner, practice, praxis, usage, usance, way, wont. See usual

See use in American Heritage Dictionary 4 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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