use

{{Roman}}I.{{/Roman}}

noun

1 using; being used

ADJECTIVE

▪ considerable, extensive, great, heavy, liberal

▪ full, maximum

▪

He made full use of the opportunity to travel.

▪ excessive

▪

a style of writing with an excessive use of metaphor

▪ increased, increasing

▪ constant, continued, daily, everyday, frequent, regular, repeated, routine

▪

the daily use of a deodorant

▪ long-term, prolonged

▪

There is a high risk of developing side effects from prolonged use of the drug.

▪ lifetime

▪

lifetime use of cigarettes

▪ future

▪

The prints remain on file for future use.

▪ wide, widespread

▪

a campaign to encourage wider use of public transport

▪ common, current, general, normal, ordinary

▪

This software is no longer in common use.

▪ limited

▪ occasional

▪ effective, efficient, good, judicious, optimum

▪

an efficient use of resources

▪

Holding a party was not the best use of scarce funds.

▪

an article with a judicious use of examples

▪

The layout of the furniture makes optimum use of the space available.

▪ appropriate, correct, fair, legitimate, proper

▪

the fair use of copyrighted material

▪ clever, innovative, skilful/skillful

▪ selective

▪ careful, safe

▪ inappropriate, indiscriminate, poor

▪ illegal, illicit, improper, unauthorized

▪ sustainable

▪

the sustainable use of natural resources

▪ personal, private

▪ external, internal

▪

This antiseptic is for external use only.

▪ home

▪

fire extinguishers for home use

▪ recreational

▪ clinical, commercial, industrial, non-commercial

▪ official

▪ exclusive

▪

for the exclusive use of club members

▪ free

▪

Guests have free use of the hotel pool.

▪ immediate

▪

Only half the land was fit for immediate use.

▪ alcohol, drug, heroin, substance, etc.

▪

Drug use in this age group is on the increase.

▪ condom, contraceptive

▪ pesticide

▪ land

▪ language

▪ energy

▪ Internet

VERB + USE

▪ make

▪

We made use of the car while you were away.

▪ bring sth (back) into, come into

▪

a technology which came into use at the end of the last century

▪ go out of

▪

The expression went out of use some time ago.

▪ enable

▪

Advances in battery technology would enable more widespread use of solar energy.

▪ facilitate

▪ allow, permit

▪ legalize

▪ ban, forbid, outlaw, prohibit

▪

the first country to ban the use of antidepressants in children

▪ regulate

▪ preclude

▪ curb, curtail, limit, restrict

▪ maximize, minimize

▪ increase

▪ decrease, reduce

▪ discontinue

▪

If side effects occur, discontinue use.

▪ advocate, encourage, promote, recommend

▪

I don't recommend the use of chemicals in home gardens.

▪ condone, sanction

▪ approve, endorse, favour/favor, support

▪

The study showed that 75% of people favoured/favored the use of ID cards.

▪ discourage, oppose

▪ pioneer

▪

the company which pioneered the use of screen savers as entertainment

▪ justify

▪

You can't justify the use of violence.

PREPOSITION

▪ for use

▪

This phone number is only for use in an emergency.

▪ in use

▪

The phone is in constant use.

PHRASES

▪ ease of use

▪

This model has been designed for greater ease of use.

▪ for use as

▪

The CD is intended for use as background music.

▪ ready for use

▪

This room is now ready for use.

2 purpose for which sth is used

ADJECTIVE

▪ different

▪ new

▪ intended

▪ potential

▪

The product has several potential uses.

▪ medicinal

▪

Water was reserved for drinking or medicinal uses.

VERB + USE

▪ have

▪

This herb has a variety of uses.

▪ find, put sth to

▪

Can you find a use for this old table?

▪

Don't throw that box away—I'm sure I could put it to some use.

PHRASES

▪ a variety of uses

▪ what use is … ?, what's the use of … ?

▪

What use is a mouse without a computer?

▪

What's the use of denying it?

3 ability/permission to use sth

ADJECTIVE

▪ full

▪

the full use of your mental faculties

VERB + USE

▪ have

▪

Since his stroke he hasn't had the use of his left hand.

▪ give sb, offer (sb)

▪

We gave them the use of our house while we were away.

▪ deny sb

▪

They denied us use of the college library.

▪ lose

▪ recover, regain

▪

After a while she regained the use of her fingers.

PREPOSITION

▪ use of

▪

She lost the use of her legs in a car accident.

4 how useful sth is

ADJECTIVE

▪ practical

VERB + USE

▪ be of

▪

Could this old coat be of use to you?

▪ have

▪

I have no use for my golf clubs any more.

PREPOSITION

▪ of … use

▪

It's of no practical use to me.

▪ use to

▪

Is it any use to you?

PHRASES

▪ be no use

▪

It's no use running—the train has already gone.

{{Roman}}II.{{/Roman}}

verb

ADVERB

▪ appropriately, correctly, properly

▪

Credit cards, used appropriately, are a great financial tool.

▪ effectively, efficiently, successfully

▪ improperly (esp. BrE), inappropriately, indiscriminately

▪ carefully, cautiously, judiciously, responsibly, selectively, sparingly

▪

This paint is very expensive, so please use it sparingly.

▪ safely

▪ interchangeably, synonymously

▪

‘Ethics’ and ‘morality’ are often used interchangeably.

▪ concurrently, simultaneously

▪ consistently, frequently, generally, habitually, normally, regularly, routinely, typically, usually

▪

Do you habitually use display screen equipment in your job?

▪ mainly, primarily

▪

a technique that is pimarily used in eye surgery

▪ exclusively

▪

an etching technique used exclusively by Picasso

▪ liberally

▪ infrequently, occasionally, rarely

▪ originally

▪ conventionally, traditionally

▪ commercially

▪ up

▪

The oil had all been used up.

VERB + USE

▪ be easy to, be simple to

▪

These garden shears are lightweight and easy to use.

▪ be difficult to, be hard to

▪ be ready to

▪ be likely to, tend to

▪

the factors that make people likely to use heroin

▪

Manufacturers tend to use disks made in the US.

▪ allow sb to, be entitled to, let sb, permit sb to

▪

Candidates are not allowed to use dictionaries in the exam.

▪ forbid sb to

▪ teach sb to

PREPOSITION

▪ as

▪

The church is sometimes used as a concert venue.

▪ for

▪

chemicals that are used for cleaning

PHRASES

▪ permission to use sth

Use is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑device, ↑experiment, ↑method, ↑recipe, ↑trial

Use is used with these nouns as the object: ↑abbreviation, ↑acupuncture, ↑agent, ↑airport, ↑airspace, ↑alias, ↑ammunition, ↑anaesthetic, ↑analogy, ↑appliance, ↑application, ↑approach, ↑argument, ↑asset, ↑authority, ↑axe, ↑balance, ↑bathroom, ↑baton, ↑battery, ↑binoculars, ↑birth control, ↑brain, ↑brake, ↑breed, ↑brick, ↑broom, ↑brush, ↑bus, ↑camera, ↑cannabis, ↑card, ↑caution, ↑cellphone, ↑channel, ↑charcoal, ↑charm, ↑checklist, ↑chemical, ↑chip, ↑cliché, ↑clout, ↑coal, ↑cocaine, ↑code, ↑coke, ↑comb, ↑command, ↑common sense, ↑compass, ↑computer, ↑condom, ↑connection, ↑consultant, ↑contact, ↑contraception, ↑contraceptive, ↑contractor, ↑cosmetic, ↑coupon, ↑courier, ↑crayon, ↑creativity, ↑credit, ↑credit card, ↑criterion, ↑crutch, ↑cunning, ↑currency, ↑data, ↑database, ↑deception, ↑definition, ↑design, ↑device, ↑dictionary, ↑diesel, ↑diplomacy, ↑discretion, ↑distraction, ↑dye, ↑dynamite, ↑electricity, ↑elevator, ↑email, ↑encouragement, ↑encyclopedia, ↑energy, ↑entrance, ↑equipment, ↑escalator, ↑essence, ↑example, ↑experience, ↑expertise, ↑explosive, ↑expression, ↑facility, ↑ferry, ↑fertilizer, ↑firearm, ↑fist, ↑flannel, ↑flash, ↑flattery, ↑flavouring, ↑flour, ↑footpath, ↑force, ↑fork, ↑format, ↑formula, ↑fuel, ↑fund, ↑gadget, ↑gasoline, ↑gun, ↑hammer, ↑handkerchief, ↑hardware, ↑head, ↑heat, ↑heating, ↑herb, ↑highway, ↑humour, ↑hypnosis, ↑image, ↑imagery, ↑imagination, ↑influence, ↑information, ↑ingenuity, ↑ingredient, ↑initial, ↑initiative, ↑ink, ↑instrument, ↑intellect, ↑intelligence, ↑Internet, ↑intuition, ↑iron, ↑jargon, ↑judgement, ↑key, ↑knife, ↑knowledge, ↑label, ↑language, ↑laser, ↑lavatory, ↑leave, ↑library, ↑lighting, ↑logic, ↑loo, ↑loophole, ↑lotion, ↑machine, ↑machinery, ↑magic, ↑make-up, ↑manipulation, ↑manoeuvre, ↑manual, ↑map, ↑material, ↑means, ↑measure, ↑metaphor, ↑method, ↑microphone, ↑mirror, ↑missile, ↑mobile phone, ↑mode, ↑model, ↑mould, ↑mouse, ↑muscle, ↑name, ↑narcotic, ↑needle, ↑network, ↑nickname, ↑oil, ↑ointment, ↑opportunity, ↑package, ↑parachute, ↑pass, ↑pedal, ↑pen, ↑pencil, ↑perfume, ↑persuasion, ↑petrol, ↑phone, ↑phrase, ↑pill, ↑position, ↑potty, ↑power, ↑practice, ↑precaution, ↑premises, ↑prerogative, ↑procedure, ↑proceeds, ↑product, ↑program, ↑projector, ↑prostitute, ↑pseudonym, ↑ration, ↑razor, ↑reasoning, ↑recipe, ↑regimen, ↑remedy, ↑repetition, ↑replay, ↑reserve, ↑resource, ↑restraint, ↑restroom, ↑revenue, ↑rhetoric, ↑rinse, ↑route, ↑rule, ↑sanction, ↑saving, ↑scale, ↑scheme, ↑scissors, ↑sedative, ↑service, ↑shampoo, ↑sheet, ↑sign, ↑simulation, ↑skill, ↑slang, ↑slave, ↑slogan, ↑soap, ↑software, ↑sound, ↑space, ↑spade, ↑spear, ↑spelling, ↑spoon, ↑spray, ↑spreadsheet, ↑stair, ↑staircase, ↑stereotype, ↑stitch, ↑strategy, ↑strength, ↑style, ↑substance, ↑subway, ↑supply, ↑surname, ↑surrogate, ↑swear word, ↑syllabus, ↑symbol, ↑symbolism, ↑syringe, ↑system, ↑tact, ↑tactic, ↑talent, ↑tank, ↑tape, ↑technique, ↑technology, ↑telephone, ↑telescope, ↑tense, ↑term, ↑terminal, ↑terminology, ↑terror, ↑test, ↑theory, ↑thinking, ↑time, ↑tip, ↑tissue, ↑tobacco, ↑toilet, ↑tone, ↑tool, ↑tractor, ↑train, ↑transport, ↑transportation, ↑trick, ↑tunnel, ↑type, ↑vacation, ↑verb, ↑veto, ↑violence, ↑vocabulary, ↑voucher, ↑washcloth, ↑weapon, ↑web, ↑website, ↑wheelchair, ↑whip, ↑wit, ↑word, ↑wording, ↑yarn