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use
(redirected from Used To Be)

   Also found in: Legal, Idioms, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia 0.08 sec.
use  (yz)
v. used, us·ing, us·es
v.tr.
1. To put into service or apply for a purpose; employ.
2. To avail oneself of; practice: use caution.
3. To conduct oneself toward; treat or handle: "the peace offering of a man who once used you unkindly" Laurence Sterne.
4. To seek or achieve an end by means of; exploit: used their highly placed friends to gain access to the president; felt he was being used by seekers of favor.
5. To take or consume; partake of: She rarely used alcohol.
v.intr. (ys, yst)
Used in the past tense followed by to in order to indicate a former state, habitual practice, or custom: Mail service used to be faster.
n. (ys)
1.
a. The act of using; the application or employment of something for a purpose: with the use of a calculator; skilled in the use of the bow and arrow.
b. The condition or fact of being used: a chair in regular use.
2. The manner of using; usage: learned the proper use of power tools.
3.
a. The permission, privilege, or benefit of using something: gave us the use of their summerhouse.
b. The power or ability to use something: lost the use of one arm.
4. The need or occasion to use or employ: have no use for these old clothes.
5. The quality of being suitable or adaptable to an end; usefulness: tried to be of use in the kitchen.
6. A purpose for which something is used: a tool with several uses; a pretty bowl, but of what use is it?
7. Gain or advantage; good: There's no use in discussing it. What's the use?
8. Accustomed or usual procedure or practice.
9. Law
a. Enjoyment of property, as by occupying or exercising it.
b. The benefit or profit of lands and tenements of which the legal title and possession are vested in another.
c. The arrangement establishing the equitable right to such benefits and profits.
10. A liturgical form practiced in a particular church, ecclesiastical district, or community.
11. Obsolete Usual occurrence or experience.
Phrasal Verb:
use up
To consume completely: used up all our money.

[Middle English usen, from Old French user, from Vulgar Latin *sre, frequentative of Latin t. N., Middle English, from Old French us, from Latin sus, from past participle of t.]
Synonyms: use, employ, utilize
These verbs mean to avail oneself of someone or something in order to make him, her, or it useful, functional, or beneficial. To use is to put into service or apply for a purpose: uses a hearing aid; used the press secretary as spokesperson; using a stick to stir the paint.
Employ is often interchangeable with use: She employed her education to maximum advantage.
It can also denote engaging or maintaining the services of another: "When men are employed, they are best contented" Benjamin Franklin.
Utilize is especially appropriate in the narrower sense of making something profitable or of finding new and practical uses for it: Waterpower was once widely utilized to generate electricity. See Also Synonyms at habit.

use
Verb
[using, used]
1. to put into service or action; employ for a given purpose: use a garden fork to mix them together
2. to choose or employ regularly: what sort of toothpaste do you use?
3. to take advantage of; exploit: I used Jason and he used me
4. to consume or expend: a manufacturing plant uses 1000 tonnes of steel a month
Noun
1. the act or fact of using or being used: large-scale use of pesticides
2. the ability or permission to use
3. need or opportunity to use: the Colombian government had no use for them
4. usefulness or advantage: there is no use in complaining
5. the purpose for which something is used
6. have no use for
a. to have no need of
b. to have a contemptuous dislike for
7. make use of
a. to employ; use
b. to exploit (a person)
See also use up [Latin usus having used]
user n
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.useuse - the act of using; "he warned against the use of narcotic drugs"; "skilled in the utilization of computers"
activity - any specific behavior; "they avoided all recreational activity"
practice - the exercise of a profession; "the practice of the law"; "I took over his practice when he retired"
play - utilization or exercise; "the play of the imagination"
misuse, abuse - improper or excessive use; "alcohol abuse"; "the abuse of public funds"
exploitation, development - the act of making some area of land or water more profitable or productive or useful; "the development of Alaskan resources"; "the exploitation of copper deposits"
recycling - the act of processing used or abandoned materials for use in creating new products
application, practical application - the act of bringing something to bear; using it for a particular purpose; "he advocated the application of statistics to the problem"; "a novel application of electronics to medical diagnosis"
2.useuse - what something is used for; "the function of an auger is to bore holes"; "ballet is beautiful but what use is it?"
usefulness, utility - the quality of being of practical use
raison d'etre - the purpose that justifies a thing's existence
3.useuse - a particular service; "he put his knowledge to good use"; "patrons have their uses"
usefulness, utility - the quality of being of practical use
4.use - (economics) the utilization of economic goods to satisfy needs or in manufacturing; "the consumption of energy has increased steadily"
economic science, economics, political economy - the branch of social science that deals with the production and distribution and consumption of goods and services and their management
conspicuous consumption - buying expensive services and products in order to flaunt your wealth
demand - the ability and desire to purchase goods and services; "the automobile reduced the demand for buggywhips"; "the demand exceeded the supply"
5.use - (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"
custom, usage, usance - accepted or habitual practice
ritual - stereotyped behavior
second nature - acquired behavior that is practiced so long it seems innate
psychological science, psychology - the science of mental life
cleanliness - the habit of keeping free of superficial imperfections
6.useuse - exerting shrewd or devious influence especially for one's own advantage; "his manipulation of his friends was scandalous"
influence - causing something without any direct or apparent effort
mind game - deliberate actions of calculated psychological manipulation intended to intimidate or confuse (usually for competitive advantage); "football players try to play mind games with the opposition"; "the jeweler's mind game is to convince lovers that the size of a gemstone reflects the depth of their feelings"
7.use - (law) the exercise of the legal right to enjoy the benefits of owning property; "we were given the use of his boat"
legal right - a right based in law
fair use - the conditions under which you can use material that is copyrighted by someone else without paying royalties
fruition - enjoyment derived from use or possession
law, jurisprudence - the collection of rules imposed by authority; "civilization presupposes respect for the law"; "the great problem for jurisprudence to allow freedom while enforcing order"
Verb1.useuse - 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"
dedicate, devote, commit, consecrate, give - give entirely to a specific person, activity, or cause; "She committed herself to the work of God"; "give one's talents to a good cause"; "consecrate your life to the church"
play - employ in a game or in a specific position; "They played him on first base"
play - use or move; "I had to play my queen"
pull out all the stops - use all resources available; "The organizers pulled out all the stops for the centennial meeting"
put, assign - attribute or give; "She put too much emphasis on her the last statement"; "He put all his efforts into this job"; "The teacher put an interesting twist to the interpretation of the story"
ply - use diligently; "ply your wits!"
address - address or apply oneself to something, direct one's efforts towards something, such as a question
waste - use inefficiently or inappropriately; "waste heat"; "waste a joke on an unappreciative audience"
misapply, misuse - apply to a wrong thing or person; apply badly or incorrectly; "The words are misapplied in this context"; "You are misapplying the name of this religious group"
avail - use to one's advantage; "He availed himself of the available resources"
overuse, overdrive - make use of too often or too extensively
cannibalise, cannibalize - use parts of something to repair something else
reprocess, reuse, recycle - use again after processing; "We must recycle the cardboard boxes"
exploit, work - use or manipulate to one's advantage; "He exploit the new taxation system"; "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy"
exploit, tap - draw from; make good use of; "we must exploit the resources we are given wisely"
strain, extend - use to the utmost; exert vigorously or to full capacity; "He really extended himself when he climbed Kilimanjaro"; "Don't strain your mind too much"
exercise, exert - put to use; "exert one's power or influence"
enjoy - have benefit from; "enjoy privileges"
take - travel or go by means of a certain kind of transportation, or a certain route; "He takes the bus to work"; "She takes Route 1 to Newark"
share - use jointly or in common
put to work, work - cause to work; "he is working his servants hard"
implement - apply in a manner consistent with its purpose or design; "implement a procedure"
practice, use, apply - avail oneself to; "apply a principle"; "practice a religion"; "use care when going down the stairs"; "use your common sense"; "practice non-violent resistance"
resort, recur, fall back - have recourse to; "The government resorted to rationing meat"
2.useuse - take or consume (regularly or habitually); "She uses drugs rarely"
ingest, consume, have, take in, take - serve oneself to, or consume regularly; "Have another bowl of chicken soup!"; "I don't take sugar in my coffee"
tope, drink - drink excessive amounts of alcohol; be an alcoholic; "The husband drinks and beats his wife"
board - lodge and take meals (at)
3.use - use up, consume fully; "The legislature expended its time on school questions"
abuse, misuse, pervert - change the inherent purpose or function of something; "Don't abuse the system"; "The director of the factory misused the funds intended for the health care of his workers"
abuse - use wrongly or improperly or excessively; "Her husband often abuses alcohol"; "while she was pregnant, she abused drugs"
spare - use frugally or carefully
take, use up, occupy - require (time or space); "It took three hours to get to work this morning"; "This event occupied a very short time"
squander, waste, blow - spend thoughtlessly; throw away; "He wasted his inheritance on his insincere friends"; "You squandered the opportunity to get and advanced degree"
deplete, use up, wipe out, eat up, exhaust, run through, eat, consume - use up (resources or materials); "this car consumes a lot of gas"; "We exhausted our savings"; "They run through 20 bottles of wine a week"
4.use - 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"
exploit, work - use or manipulate to one's advantage; "He exploit the new taxation system"; "She knows how to work the system"; "he works his parents for sympathy"
take advantage, trespass - make excessive use of; "You are taking advantage of my good will!"; "She is trespassing upon my privacy"
5.use - avail oneself to; "apply a principle"; "practice a religion"; "use care when going down the stairs"; "use your common sense"; "practice non-violent resistance"
apply, employ, use, utilise, utilize - 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"
follow - adhere to or practice; "These people still follow the laws of their ancient religion"
6.use - 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"
act, move - perform an action, or work out or perform (an action); "think before you act"; "We must move quickly"; "The governor should act on the new energy bill"; "The nanny acted quickly by grabbing the toddler and covering him with a wet towel"

use
verb 1. employ, utilize, make use of, work, apply, operate, exercise, practise, resort to, exert, wield, ply, put to use, bring into play, find a use for, avail yourself of, turn to account
verb 2. (sometimes with up) consume, go through, exhaust, spend, waste, get through, run through, deplete, dissipate, expend, fritter away
verb 3. take advantage of, exploit, manipulate, abuse, milk, profit from, impose on, misuse, make use of, cash in on (informal) walk all over (informal) take liberties with
use something up consume, drain, exhaust, finish, waste, absorb, run through, deplete, squander, devour, swallow up, burn up, fritter away
Translations

use n [juːs]uso, empleo (= usefulness); utilidad f
vt [juːz]usar, emplear;
in use → en uso;
out of use → en desuso;
to be of use → servir;
ready for use → listo (para usar);
to make use of sth → aprovecharse or servirse de algo;
it's no use (= pointless) → es inútil (= not useful); no sirve;
what's this used for? → ¿para qué sirve esto?;
to be used to → estar acostumbrado a (SP); acostumbrar;
to get used to → acostumbrarse a;
she used to do it → (ella) solía or acostumbraba hacerlo
use up vtagotar
use n [juːs]emploi m, utilisation f; usage m (= usefulness); utilité f
vt [juːz]se servir de, utiliser, employer;
in use → en usage;
out of use → hors d'usage;
to be of use → servir, être utile;
to make use of sth → utiliser qch;
ready for use → prêt à l'emploi;
it's no use → ça ne sert à rien;
to have the use of → avoir l'usage de;
what's this used for? → à quoi est-ce que ça sert?;
she used to do it → elle le faisait (autrefois), elle avait coutume de le faire;
to be used to → avoir l'habitude de, être habitué(e) à;
to get used to → s'habituer à
use up vtfinir, épuiser [+ food]; consommer
use n [juːs]
vt [juːz]
n (= using) → Gebrauch m, Verwendung f (= usefulness, purpose); Nutzen m
vtbenutzen, gebrauchen [+ phrase]; verwenden;
in use → in Gebrauch;
out of use → außer Gebrauch;
to be of use → nützlich or von Nutzen sein;
to make use of sth → Gebrauch von etw machen;
it's no use → es hat keinen Zweck;
to have the use of sth → über etw acc verfügen können;
what's this used for? → wofür wird das gebraucht?;
to be used to sth → etw gewohnt sein;
to get used to sth → sich an etw acc gewöhnen;
she used to do it → sie hat es früher gemacht
use up use vt [+ food, leftovers] → aufbrauchen [+ money]; verbrauchen
use n [juːs]uso ; impiego, utilizzazione f
vt [juːz]usare, utilizzare, servirsi di;
she used to do it → lo faceva (una volta), era solita farlo;
in use → in uso;
out of use → fuori uso;
to be of use → essere utile, servire;
to make use of sth → far uso di qc, utilizzare qc;
ready for use → pronto per l'uso;
it's no use → non serve, è inutile;
to have the use of → poter usare;
what's this used for? → a che serve?;
to be used to → avere l'abitudine di;
to get used to → abituarsi a, fare l'abitudine a
use up vtfinire [+ supplies]; dare fondo a [+ left-overs]; utilizzare

use1
v use [juːz]
1 to employ (something) for a purpose What did you use to open the can?; Use your common sense!gebruikيَسْتَعْمِلизползвамpoužívatbrugebenutzenχρησιμοποιώusar, utilizarkasutamaاستفاده کردنkäyttääutiliserלְהִשתַמֵשकिसी चीज का प्रयोग करनाkoristiti(fel)használnotausare使用するnaudotilietot; izmantotmenggunakangebruikenbruke, benytte, anvendeużyćusara utiliza, a se servi deпользоваться; применятьpoužívaťuporabitikoristitianvändaใช้kullanmak使用вживати, користуватисяاستعمال کرناsử dụng使
2 to consume We're using far too much electricity.gebruikيَسْتَهْلِكизползвамspotřebovatbrugeverbrauchenκαταναλώνωconsumir, gastartarvitamaمصرف کردنkäyttääconsommerלִצרוֹךकिसी चीज का उपभोग करनाtrošiti(el)fogyasztnota, neyta, eyðausare消費するvartotilietot; []tērētmenggunakangebruikenbruke, med tilzużywaćusara consumaрасходоватьspotrebovaťporabititrošitiförbrukaใช้ประโยชน์kullanmak, tüketmek消耗споживати, витрачатиخرچ کرناdùng, tiêu thụ
adj ˈusable
that can be used Are any of these clothes usable?bruikbaarقابِل للإسْتِعْمالизползваемpoužitelnýbrugbarbrauchbarχρησιμοποιήσιμοςutilizable, aprovechablekasutamiskõlblikقابل استعمالkäyttökelpoinenutilisableשִמוּשִיउपयोगीiskoristiv(fel)használhatónothæfurutilizzabile使用可能なtinkamas naudotilietojamsboleh digunakanbruikbaaranvendelig, brukbarnadający się do użytkuutilizávelutilizabil(при)годныйpoužiteľnýuporabenupotrebljivanvändbar, brukbarซึ่งใช้ได้kullanılabilir可用的придатний для вживання; практичнийقابل استعمالcó thể sử dụng được
adj used
1 employed or put to a purpose This road is not used any more.gebruikمُسْتَعْمَلизползванpoužívanýi bruggebrauchtχρησιμοποιούμενος, σε χρήσηutilizadokasutuselolevاستفاده شدهkäytössäutiliséמְשוּמָשइस्तेमाल करनाkorištenhasználatosnotaðurusato使用されるnaudojamaslietots; izmantotsdigunakanin gebruikbrukt, benyttetużywanyusadofolositиспользуемыйpoužívanýrabljenu upotrebianvändซึ่งถูกใช้kullanımda olan應用的такий, що використовуєтьсяمتروک
2 not new used cars.gebruikteمُسْتَعْمَل، لم يَعُد جديداизхабенpoužitý, ojetýbrugtgebrauchtχρησιμοποιημένος, μεταχειρισμένοςusado, de segunda manopruugitudکارکردهkäytettyd'occasionמְשוּמָשपुरानीkorišten, rabljenhasználtnotaðurusato中古のnaudotas, padėvėtaspalietots; vecsterpakaigebruiktbruktużywanyusadola mâna a douaподержанныйpoužitý, ojazdenýrabljenpolovanbegagnadที่คุ้นเคยเพราะใช้อยู่เป็นประจำkullanılmış用過的використаний; спрацьованийپراناdùng rồi
n ˈuser
a person who uses something computer users; drug-users.gebruikerمُسْتَعْمِلпотребителuživatel, -ka; spotřebitel, -kabruger; -bruger; narkomander/die Benutzer(in), der/die Verbraucher(in)χρήστηςusuario, persona que usa algokasutajaمصرف کننده؛ کاربرkäyttäjäutilisateur/-trice; usager/-èreמִשתַמֵש בְּ-उपभोक्ता, प्रयोग कर्त्ता, उपयोक्ताkorisnikhasználónotandiutente, consumatore, consumatrice使用者vartotojas, naudotojaslietotājs; patērētājspenggunagebruiker(for)bruker, konsument; (narkotika)misbrukerużytkownikutilizadorutilizatorпотребительužívateľ, -ka; spotrebiteľ, -kauporabnikkorisnikanvändareผู้ใช้kullanıcı用戶споживач; користувачصارف، استعمال کرنے والاngười sử dụng
adj ˌuser-ˈfriendly
(of a computer, dictionary, system etc) that is easy or simple to use, understand etc a user-friendly camera.gebruikervriendelikسَهْل الإستِعْمالлесен за употребаuser-friendly, jednoduchý k používáníbrugervenligverbraucherfreundlichφιλικός προς το χρήστηfácil de usarkasutajasõbralikآسان کاربردfacile à utiliser; convivialיְדִידוּתִי לַמִשתַמֵשउपयोक्ता-उन्मुखीlagan za korištenjefelhasználóbarát(facile da usare)使い易いpatogus vartotojuilietotājam ērts, parocīgsmesra penggunagebruiksvriendelijkbrukervennligłatwy w obsłudze, przyjazny dla użytkownikaудобный в употребленииľahko použiteľný, al. ovládateľnýuporabniku prijazenpristupačananvändarvänligใช้ง่ายkullanıcı dostu, kullanışlı用戶容易掌握使用的зручний для користувачаاستعمال ميں آسانdễ sử dụng使
n ˌuser ˈguide
a list of instructions etc on how to use a particular product, system etc The attached user guide explains how to install the program on your computer.gebruikerhandleidingمُرْشِد للمُسْتَعْمِلупътванеuživatelská příručkabrugsanvisning; manualdie Gebrauchsanweisungοδηγός χρήσηςmanual de instruccioneskasutusjuhendدفترچه راهنماmanuel d'utilisationמַדרִיך לַמִשתַמֵשमार्गनिर्देशिकाpriručnik za korisnikahasználati utasítás(manuale di istruzioni)使用の手引naudojimosi instrukcijalietošanas pamācībapanduan penggunahandleidingbrukerveiledning, bruksanvisningprzewodnik użytkownikaруководство пользователяnávod pre užívateľanavodilauputstvohandbokการแนะนำการใช้kullanma kılavuzu用戶指南посібник для користувачаاستعمال کے ليے رہ نما کتابhướng dẫn sử dụng
be used to (something) [ˈjuːstu]
accustomed to She isn't used to such hard work.مُعْتادٌ علىvære vant tiletwas gewohnt seinσυνηθισμένος σε, μαθημένος σεacostumbrado/habituado aharjunud (millegagi)tottunuthabitué àhozzászokott, -szokvavera vanur (e-u)abituato a*~に慣れているápratæspieradisgewend zijn aanacostumado aobişnuit cu (ceva)/săпривыкший к чему-л.navajen navan vid...-e/a alışık/alışkın習慣於...
used to [ˈjuːstu]
– (I, he etc) was in the habit of (doing something); (I, he etc) was (usually) in a particular position, state etc I used to swim every day; She used not to be so forgetful; They used to play golf, didn't they?; Didn't you use(d) to live near me?; There used to be a butcher's shop there, didn't there?het vroeërإعْتادَ أنизразява обичайно действие в миналотоmívat ve zvyku; bývatplejegewohnt(zu)συνήθιζα ναsoler, acostumbrartavatses, varem(alt)عادت داشتن؛ طبق قاعده بودنavoir l'habitude de; il y avaitרָגִיל ל-हुआ करता थाobičavao/la jeazelőtt (sokat csinált vmit)var vanur að; var einu sinni(avere l'abitudine)~したものだkādreiz bijadulu...biasavroeger gedaan hebben, geweest zijnpleie å, bruke å, (var) i sin tid, tidligeremieć (kiedyś) zwyczaj, czynić (kiedyś) coś częstocostumara obişnui săпрежде; раньшеzvyknúťvčasih...postojao jebrukadeเคยeskiden (yap/...)ardı過去常常(做某事)бувало, (що)ماضي ميں کسي امر کا تسلسلthường làm trong quá khứ

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