use
verb/juːz/
/juːz/
Verb Forms
Idioms Phrasal Verbs| present simple I / you / we / they use | /juːz/ /juːz/ |
| he / she / it uses | /ˈjuːzɪz/ /ˈjuːzɪz/ |
| past simple used | /juːzd/ /juːzd/ |
| past participle used | /juːzd/ /juːzd/ |
| -ing form using | /ˈjuːzɪŋ/ /ˈjuːzɪŋ/ |
- [transitive] to do something with a machine, a method, an object, etc. for a particular purpose
- use something Can I use the photocopier?
- He makes beer using traditional methods.
- The applicator makes the glue easy to use.
- Have you ever used this software before?
- The oven looked as if it had never been used.
- How often do you use (= travel by) the bus?
- They were able to achieve a settlement without using military force.
- a little-used path through the wood
- a widely used technique for assessing the strength of metals
- I have some information you may be able to use (= to get an advantage from).
- use something for something We used a carrot for the snowman’s nose.
- use something for doing something chemicals that are used for cleaning
- use something to do something Police used tear gas to disperse the crowds.
- This tree bark can be used to make a black dye.
- use something as something The building is currently being used as a warehouse.
- You can't keep using your bad back as an excuse.
- use something in something The drug is also used in the treatment of cancer.
Extra Examples- Candidates are not allowed to use dictionaries in the exam.
- Credit cards, used appropriately, are a great financial tool.
- Do you habitually use display screen equipment in your job?
- Manufacturers tend to use disks made in the US.
- The church is sometimes used as a concert venue.
- The tennis court is sometimes used as a car park.
- These garden shears are lightweight and easy to use.
- a technique that is primarily used in eye surgery
- an etching technique used exclusively by Picasso
- Don't keep asking me what to do—just use your common sense!
- You should learn to use your time more efficiently.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- appropriately
- correctly
- properly
- …
- be easy to
- be simple to
- be difficult to
- …
- as
- for
- permission to use something
- [transitive] use something to take a particular amount of a liquid, substance, etc. in order to achieve or make something
- This type of heater uses a lot of electricity.
- I hope you haven't used all the milk.
- This paint is very expensive, so please use it sparingly.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- appropriately
- correctly
- properly
- …
- be easy to
- be simple to
- be difficult to
- …
- as
- for
- permission to use something
- [transitive] to say or write particular words or a particular type of language
- use something The poem uses simple language.
- That's a word I never use.
- You have to use the past tense.
- ‘Ethics’ and ‘morality’ are often used interchangeably.
- use something to do something ‘Pop art’ is a term used to describe a movement that began in the 1950s.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb- appropriately
- correctly
- properly
- …
- be easy to
- be simple to
- be difficult to
- …
- as
- for
- permission to use something
- [transitive] use somebody (disapproving) to be kind, friendly, etc. to somebody with the intention of getting an advantage for yourself from them synonym exploit
- Can't you see he's just using you for his own ends?
- I felt used.
- [transitive, intransitive] use (something) to take illegal drugs
- Most of the inmates have used drugs at some point in their lives.
- (slang) She's been using since she was 13.
- the factors that make people likely to use heroin
Word OriginMiddle English: the noun from Old French us, from Latin usus, from uti ‘to use’; the verb from Old French user, based on Latin uti.
Idioms
See use in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee use in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic EnglishI, you, etc. could use something
- (informal) used to say that you would like to have something very much
- I think we could all use a drink after that!
use your head
(British English also use your loaf)
- (informal) used to tell somebody to think about something, especially when they have asked for your opinion or said something stupid
- ‘Why don't you want to see him again?’ ‘Oh, use your head!’
Check pronunciation:
use