What does use mean?

What does use mean?. The world's largest and most trusted free online dictionary: definitions, synonyms, word origins, example sentences, word games, and more.

What does use mean? - The Free Dictionary

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[n] the act of using(he warned against the use of narcotic drugs skilled in the utilization of computers)[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 Apply a magnet

use

use - The Free Dictionary

[n] the act of using
(he warned against the use of narcotic drugs skilled in the utilization of computers)

[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 Apply a magnetic field here This thinking was applied to many projects How do you utilize this tool? I apply this rule to get good results use the plastic bags to store the food He doesn't know how to use a computer)

[n] what something is used for
(the function of an auger is to bore holes ballet is beautiful but what use is it?)

[v] take or consume (regularly or habitually)
(She uses drugs rarely)

[n] a particular service
(he put his knowledge to good use patrons have their uses)

[v] use up, consume fully
(The legislature expended its time on school questions)

[n] (economics) the utilization of economic goods to satisfy needs or in manufacturing
(the consumption of energy has increased steadily)

[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)

[n] (psychology) an automatic pattern of behavior in reaction to a specific situation; may be inherited or acquired through frequent repetition
(owls have nocturnal habits she had a habit twirling the ends of her hair long use had hardened him to it)

[v] avail oneself to
(apply a principle practice a religion use care when going down the stairs use your common sense practice non-violent resistance)

[n] exerting shrewd or devious influence especially for one's own advantage
(his manipulation of his friends was scandalous)

[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)

[n] (law) the exercise of the legal right to enjoy the benefits of owning property
(we were given the use of his boat)

Other vocabulary

u, u-boat, u-drive, u-shaped, u-turn, u. s. air force, u. s. army, u. s. army special forces, u. s. coast guard, u. s. code, u.k., u.s., u.s. army criminal investigation laboratory, u.s. congress, u.s. constitution, u.s. government, u.s. house, u.s. house of representatives, u.s. mint, u.s. national library of medicine, u.s. senate, u.s. waters, u.s.a., u308, uakari, ubermensch, ubiety, ubiquinone, ubiquitous, ubiquitousness, 's gravenhage, s, s wrench, s-shape, s-shaped, s. s. van dine, s. smith stevens, s.t.p., s.u.v., s/n, sa, sa node, saale, saale glaciation, saale river, saame, saami, saarinen, saba, sabah, sabahan, sabal, sabal palmetto, sabaoth, sabaton, sabayon, sabbat, sabbatarian, sabbath, sabbath school

Dictionary

A dictionary is a listing of lexemes from the lexicon of one or more specific languages, often arranged alphabetically (or by consonantal root for Semitic languages or radical and stroke for ideographic languages), which may include information on definitions, usage, etymologies, pronunciations, translation, etc. It is a lexicographical reference that shows inter-relationships among the data.

A broad distinction is made between general and specialized dictionaries. Specialized dictionaries include words in specialist fields, rather than a complete range of words in the language. Lexical items that describe concepts in specific fields are usually called terms instead of words, although there is no consensus whether lexicology and terminology are two different fields of study. In theory, general dictionaries are supposed[citation needed] to be semasiological, mapping word to definition, while specialized dictionaries are supposed to be onomasiological, first identifying concepts and then establishing the terms used to designate them. In practice, the two approaches are used for both types. There are other types of dictionaries that do not fit neatly into the above distinction, for instance bilingual (translation) dictionaries, dictionaries of synonyms (thesauri), and rhyming dictionaries. The word dictionary (unqualified) is usually understood to refer to a general purpose monolingual dictionary.

There is also a contrast between prescriptive or descriptive dictionaries; the former reflect what is seen as correct use of the language while the latter reflect recorded actual use. Stylistic indications (e.g. "informal" or "vulgar") in many modern dictionaries are also considered by some to be less than objectively descriptive.

The first recorded dictionaries date back to Sumerian times around 2300 BCE, in the form of bilingual dictionaries, and the oldest surviving monolingual dictionaries are Chinese dictionaries c. 3rd century BCE. The first purely English alphabetical dictionary was A Table Alphabeticall, written in 1604, and monolingual dictionaries in other languages also began appearing in Europe at around this time. The systematic study of dictionaries as objects of scientific interest arose as a 20th-century enterprise, called lexicography, and largely initiated by Ladislav Zgusta. The birth of the new discipline was not without controversy, with the practical dictionary-makers being sometimes accused by others of having an "astonishing" lack of method and critical-self reflection.