UTILISE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does utilise mean? 

• UTILISE (verb)
  The verb UTILISE has 1 sense:

1. put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose

  Familiarity information: UTILISE used as a verb is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• UTILISE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they utilise    ... he / she / it utilises   
Past simple: utilised   
Past participle: utilised   
-ing form: utilising   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose

Classified under:

Verbs of eating and drinking

Synonyms:

apply; employ; use; utilise; utilize

Context example:

He doesn't know how to use a computer

Cause:

apply; go for; hold (be pertinent or relevant or applicable)

Verb group:

apply; practice; use (avail oneself to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "utilise"):

cannibalise; cannibalize (use parts of something to repair something else)

fall back; recur; resort (have recourse to)

implement (apply in a manner consistent with its purpose or design)

put to work; work (cause to work)

share (use jointly or in common)

take (travel or go by means of a certain kind of transportation, or a certain route)

enjoy (have benefit from)

exercise; exert (put to use)

extend; strain (use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity)

exploit; tap (draw from; make good use of)

exploit; work (use or manipulate to one's advantage)

recycle; reprocess; reuse (use again after processing)

commit; consecrate; dedicate; devote; give (give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause)

overdrive; overuse (make use of too often or too extensively)

avail (use to one's advantage)

misapply; misuse (apply to a wrong thing or person; apply badly or incorrectly)

waste (use inefficiently or inappropriately)

address (address or apply oneself to something, direct one's efforts towards something, such as a question)

ply (use diligently)

assign; put (attribute or give)

pull out all the stops (use all resources available)

play (use or move)

play (employ in a game or in a specific position)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s something to somebody
Somebody ----s something PP
Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE

Sentence example:

They utilise the animals

Derivation:

utilisation (the act of using)

utility (the quality of being of practical use)

 Context examples 

There were still several hours of grey daylight and sombre twilight, and he utilised them in chopping an enormous supply of fire-wood.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

To carry the art, however, to its highest pitch, it is necessary that the reasoner should be able to utilise all the facts which have come to his knowledge; and this in itself implies, as you will readily see, a possession of all knowledge, which, even in these days of free education and encyclopædias, is a somewhat rare accomplishment.

(The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

By some means, which are not yet clear, he succeeded in winning, under a false name, this official position in the office, which he utilised in order to obtain moulding of various locks, and a thorough knowledge of the position of the strong room and the safes.

(The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)