UTILIZE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does utilize mean? 

• UTILIZE (verb)
  The verb UTILIZE has 2 senses:

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

2. convert (from an investment trust to a unit trust)

  Familiarity information: UTILIZE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• UTILIZE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they utilize    ... he / she / it utilizes   
Past simple: utilized   
Past participle: utilized   
-ing form: utilizing   

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 "utilize"):

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 utilize the animals

Derivation:

utility (the quality of being of practical use)

utilizable (capable of being put to a profitable or practical use)

utilization (the act of using)

utilizer (someone who puts to good use)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Convert (from an investment trust to a unit trust)

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Hypernyms (to "utilize" is one way to...):

change; commute; convert; exchange (exchange or replace with another, usually of the same kind or category)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

 Context examples 

These systems are comprised of atomic units and are quantitated utilizing nanoscale measurements.

(Molecular Nanotechnology, NCI Thesaurus)

Conjugates such as this are also utilized as imaging and contrast agents for MRI and other imaging studies.

(Nanoparticle-targeted Drug, NCI Thesaurus)

Procedures utilized to save organic substances from decay.

(Biologic Sample Preservation Procedure, NCI Thesaurus)

A subject domain utilized for the submission of information encompassing and representing data, vocabulary or records related to biopsy.

(Biopsy Domain, NCI Thesaurus)

Creation of a template utilized in the preparation of certain nanoparticles.

(Micellar Template-Mediated Nanoparticle Synthesis, NCI Thesaurus)

Several therapeutic agents can be utilized to this end, such as drugs and monoclonal antibodies.

(Metastatic Inhibitory Effect, NCI Thesaurus)

A subject domain utilized for the submission of information encompassing and representing data, vocabulary or records related to microbiology specimen.

(Microbiology Specimen Domain, NCI Thesaurus)

A subject domain utilized for the submission of information encompassing and representing data, vocabulary or records related to microbiology susceptibility tests.

(Microbiology Susceptibility Domain, NCI Thesaurus)

A subject domain utilized for the submission of information encompassing and representing data, vocabulary or records related to microscopic findings.

(Microscopic Findings Domain, NCI Thesaurus)

A host of molecular proteins can be utilized as measurable phenotypic parameters to characterize or indicate the disease state of melanoma. 2005

(Melanoma Biomarker, NCI Thesaurus)