usage

play

noun us·age \ ˈyü-sij , -zij \

Definition of usage

1 a :firmly established and generally accepted practice or procedure

b :a uniform certain reasonable lawful practice existing in a particular locality or occupation and binding persons entering into transactions chiefly on the basis of presumed familiarity

c :the way in which words and phrases are actually used (as in a particular form or sense) in a language community

2 a :the action, amount, or mode of using

a decreased usage of electricity

b :manner of treating

See usage defined for English-language learners

See usage defined for kids

Examples of usage in a Sentence

Seat belt usage in the state is now mandatory.
drug usage among college students
Restaurant dishes must be able to withstand rough usage.
efforts to reduce water usage
increasing usage of the nation's highways
This word occurs in casual usage.
differences between British and American usage
I came across an uncommon usage I'd like to discuss with you.

Recent Examples of usage from the Web

A list of apps will appear below with their respective percentages of battery usage for the last 24 hours or seven days.

— sophie weiner, Popular Mechanics, "The Extremely Easy Way to See How Much Time You're Wasting on Your Phone," 25 Aug. 2017
Its usage has been growing among U.S. opioid addicts.

— Washington Post, "US health chief lauds China for help with opioid control," 21 Aug. 2017
Pressed from the rapeseed plant, canola oil is similar to vegetable oil in flavor, color, smoke point, and usage qualities.

— rochelle bilow, Bon Appetit, "The Best Oils for Cooking, and Which to Avoid," 24 July 2017
The new fixtures, which were attached to the existing poles, will produce a more consistent light to the city’s streets improving safety while reducing electric usage by approximately 18,000 kilowatts per year.

— sheila vilvens, Cincinnati.com, "Clermont County Roundup: County Fair fun, a land battle, road and light improvements in Loveland," 20 July 2017
Vuitton has made special deals with local platforms like Weibo so that the corresponding platforms in the West will automatically switch for usage when appropriate.

— vanessa friedman, New York Times, "Get Ready for the Internet of Louis Vuitton Things," 11 July 2017
BANGKOK (AP) — A policy-writing body advising Thailand’s military government has suggested imposing stringent restrictions on internet usage, intended in part to identify the posters of all content on services such as Facebook and YouTube.

— kaweewit kaewjinda, The Seattle Times, "Thai reform body suggests tight regulations on social media," 4 July 2017
The National Milk Producers Federation says the USDA’s usage of the term shows even other government agencies are confused about how to describe soy beverages in the absence of consistent enforcement by the FDA.

— candice choi, The Seattle Times, "Soy ‘milk’? Even federal agencies can’t agree on terminology," 3 July 2017
The National Milk Producers Federation says the USDA's usage of the term shows even other government agencies are confused about how to describe soy beverages in the absence of consistent enforcement by the FDA.

— candice choi, chicagotribune.com, "Soy 'milk'? Even federal agencies can't agree on terminology," 3 July 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'usage.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.