utilize vs use :

utilize or use

The best use for “utilize” is to mean “make use of”: “Ryan utilized his laptop in the library mainly as a pillow to rest his head on.” In most contexts, “use” is simpler and clearer. Many readers consider “utilize” pretentious.

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Definitions

  • v  put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
    How do you utilize this tool?
  • v  convert (from an investment trust to a unit trust)

  • n  the act of using
    he warned against the use of narcotic drugs
  • n  what something is used for
    ballet is beautiful but what use is it?
  • n  a particular service
    he put his knowledge to good use
    patrons have their uses
  • n  (economics) the utilization of economic goods to satisfy needs or in manufacturing
  • n  (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition
    long use had hardened him to it
  • n  exerting shrewd or devious influence especially for one's own advantage
  • n  (law) the exercise of the legal right to enjoy the benefits of owning property
    we were given the use of his boat
  • v  put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose
    use your head!
    we only use Spanish at home
    I can't use this tool
    use the plastic bags to store the food
    He doesn't know how to use a computer
  • v  take or consume (regularly or habitually)
    She uses drugs rarely
  • v  use up, consume fully
  • v  seek or achieve an end by using to one's advantage
    She uses her influential friends to get jobs
    The president's wife used her good connections
  • v  avail oneself to
    use care when going down the stairs
    use your common sense
  • v  habitually do something (use only in the past tense)
    She used to call her mother every week but now she calls only occasionally
    I used to get sick when I ate in that dining hall
    They used to vacation in the Bahamas
News & Articles

  • County attempts to whittle away at $2.5 million fund balance appropriation
    <p>As the county’s budget public hearing looms, commissioners have been working to whittle down a plan that currently proposes to utilize an additional $800,000 in fund balance, bringing the ...
    June 16, 2013 - Sampson Independent
  • Chicago joins growing club of bike-sharing cities
    CHICAGO (AP) — The newest piece of Chicago's vast transit puzzle will not rumble between skyscrapers on its 100-year-old elevated rail lines or utilize its fleet of hybrid buses. The city is turning to thousands of shared bicycles to send commuters and visitors zipping on their way.
    June 15, 2013 - Associated Press via Yahoo! News
  • Chicago launches bike-share program
    CHICAGO – The newest piece of Chicago's vast transit puzzle will not rumble between skyscrapers on its 100-year-old elevated rail lines or utilize its fleet of hybrid buses. The city is turning to thousands of shared bicycles to send commuters and visitors zipping on their way.
    June 15, 2013 - Fox News