v. 1 employ, make use of, put into practice or operation, practise, utilize, exercise, bring into play, have recourse to, resort to, put or press into service, put to use, avail (oneself) of; say, utter, speak If you use a hammer you might damage the surface Why do you have to use bad language? 2 capitalize on, turn to account, profit by or from, exploit, utilize, make use of, take advantage of, manipulate, manoeuvre, handle, abuse, misuse, play, work She used her smile to lure men on Dorothy never forgave Conrad for the way he used her and her contacts to get his job. 3 consume, eat, drink, smoke, take, partake of, ingest, inject, Slang shoot (up) He has never used a habit-forming substance 4 consume, buy, purchase, employ, utilize Which kind of detergent do you use? 5 use up consume, exhaust, expend, run through, run out of, deplete; waste, squander, fritter away, pour down the drain, throw away He used up all the toothpaste She used up her entire inheritance gambling.
n. 6 usage, application, employment, utilization; using The use of unleaded fuel is recommended 7 function, utility, application; advantage, benefit, good, service, interest, profit, avail What's the use of a radio that doesn't work? 8 wear (and tear), utilization, treatment, usage, handling Long use has worn the workbench smooth 9 usability, usefulness, utility, utilization, usage, function, functioning, service(s), serviceability, power He lost the use of his right arm in an accident at work 10 licence, permission, permit, privilege We paid a high fee for the use of this parking space 11 consumption, purchases, buying, acquisition The use of cigarettes has diminished in the last decade 12 advantage, purpose, point, end, object, reason, basis, ground I have tried to help him overcome his habit, but what's the use? Many are the uses of adversity 13 demand, need, necessity, urgency, exigency The world has as much use for art as for engineering 14 See usage, 1, above. 15 have no use for. execrate, detest, abhor, hate, despise, scorn, contemn, spurn, reject, dislike We have no use for cowards in this regiment