reuse

1 of 2

verb

re·​use (ˌ)rē-ˈyüz 

reused; reusing; reuses

transitive verb

: to use again especially in a different way or after reclaiming or reprocessing

the need to reuse scarce resources

reuse packing material as insulation

reuse

2 of 2

noun

re·​use (ˌ)rē-ˈyüs 

: further, different, or repeated use

Examples of reuse in a Sentence

Verb

I can reuse that container.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In practically every prison there were stories of documents being destroyed, of archives being allowed to rot and disintegrate, of holding cells being reused before there was time to investigate what had taken place within them. —Amer Matar, The Dial, 26 May 2026

But Miss Manners would have thought that the whole justification for fake flowers is that they may be reused. —Judith Martin, Mercury News, 25 May 2026

Noun

This was a record reuse flight for the first-stage booster flying for a 17th time with a recovery landing on the droneship A Short Fall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 30 May 2026

That means accelerating office-to-housing conversions for underutilized buildings and streamlining permitting to make adaptive reuse faster and financially viable. —Mercury News Editorial Board, Mercury News, 29 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Verb

1797, in the meaning defined above

Noun

1866, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for reuse

• coos
• cruce
• deuce
• douce
• duce
• goose
• hoose
• juice
• loose
• mousse
• noose
• nous

Kids Definition

reuse

verb

re·​use

(ˈ)rē-ˈyüz

: to use again especially in a different way

reuse

-ˈyüs

noun