utilize

verb

uti·​lize ˈyü-tə-ˌlīz 

utilized; utilizing

transitive verb

: to make use of : turn to practical use or account

… I'm a great person for utilizing waste power.

—Robert Frost

utilizable

ˈyü-tə-ˌlī-zə-bəl 

adjective

utilization

ˌyü-tə-lə-ˈzā-shən 

noun

utilizer

ˈyü-tə-ˌlī-zər 

noun

Synonyms of utilize

• use
• apply
• exploit
• employ

Choose the Right Synonym for utilize

use, employ, utilize mean to put into service especially to attain an end.

use implies availing oneself of something as a means or instrument to an end.

willing to use any means to achieve her ends

employ suggests the use of a person or thing that is available but idle, inactive, or disengaged.

looking for better ways to employ their skills

utilize may suggest the discovery of a new, profitable, or practical use for something.

an old wooden bucket utilized as a planter

Examples of utilize in a Sentence

Many of the library's resources are not utilized by townspeople.

we must utilize all the tools at our disposal

Recent Examples on the Web

Micron’s money will back a $1 million grant from Bloomberg Philanthropies to the city to pilot geothermal heating, which would make the Lusk block the first affordable multifamily complex in the nation to utilize geothermal. — Mark Dee october 27, Idaho Statesman, 27 Oct. 2026

Previously, only stays booked through The Hotel Collection needed a stay of at least two nights to utilize the credit, but Fine Hotels + Resorts had no such requirement. — Ryley Amond,jason Stauffer, CNBC, 27 Oct. 2026

But at the time the message was sent, the phone was utilizing a cell tower about 11 miles west of the center. — News Editor, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026

Unlike most eVTOLs, which use propellers, the Roadster utilized compressed air jets to leap over other cars and propel from the top of a ramp six or seven stories high during its product reveal earlier this month. — Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 25 Oct. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French utiliser, from utile

First Known Use

1807, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for utilize

• advertise
• aggrandize
• alibis
• alkalies
• alkalis
• amortize
• amplifies
• analyse
• analyze
• anywise
• authorize
• butterflies

Kids Definition

utilize

verb

uti·​lize ˈyüt-ᵊl-ˌīz 

utilized; utilizing

: to make use of especially for a certain job

utilization

ˌyüt-ᵊl-ə-ˈzā-shən 

noun