use

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

Employment for a purpose

Nouns

1. use, employ[ment]; exercise, application, appliance; adhibition, disposal; consumption; usufruct; recourse, resort, avail; utilization, service, wear; recycling; usage, function, practice, method, habit; usefulness (see utility); exploitation, sexism. See possession.

2. user, employer, applier, consumer, buyer, purchaser, enjoyer; recycling center.

Verbs

1. use, make use of, utilize, harness, employ, put to use; put in action, operation, or practice; set in motion, set to work; ply, work, wield, handle, maneuver, manipulate; play [off]; play on; exert, exercise, practice, avail oneself of, make free with, seize on, make the most of, do with, profit by; resort to, look to, have recourse to, betake oneself to; take advantage of, exploit, trade on; try.

2. render useful, apply, turn to account, utilize; bring into play; press into service; bring to bear (upon), devote, dedicate, consecrate; apply, adhibit, dispose of; make a cat's-paw of; fall back upon, make shift with; make the most or best of.

3. use up, consume, absorb, dissipate (see waste); finish off, exhaust, drain; expend; tax, wear.

4. be used up or expended, run out.

Adjectives — in use, in effect; used, preused, preowned, nearly new; well-worn, well-trodden; functional, utilitarian, useful (see utility).

Phrases — all is grist that comes to the mill.

Quotations — Use your health, even to the point of wearing it out. That is what it is for. Spend all you have before you die; and do not outlive yourself (G. B. Shaw), The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them; a man may live long yet live very little (Montaigne), Money is like an arm or leg: use it or lose it (Henry Ford).

Antonyms, see neglect, waste, disuse.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [The act of using]

Syn. 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.

Ant. neglect*, disuse, dismissal.

2. [The state of being useful]

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

v.

1. [To make use of]

Syn. 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.

Ant. discard*, reject, refuse*.

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

Syn. be accustomed to, practice, do.

3. [To behave toward]

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

Syn.- 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 ]

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. service *mileage, usefulness, employment, worth, benefit.

2. utilization application, employment, exercise.

3. function service, usefulness.

II

v.

1. utilize employ, make use of, work, practice, operate, exercise, manipulate, ply.

2. abuse take advantage of, exploit, *walk on, *play for a sucker, *bleed dry.

3. expend spend, consume, exhaust, deplete.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I 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. II 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.