utilise

English

Alternative forms

• utilize (American, Canadian, Oxford British spelling)

Etymology

From French utiliser, from Italian utilizzare, from utile (“useful”), from Latin ūtilis, from ūtī (“use”). Attested c. 1810.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈjuːtɪlaɪz/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Verb

utilise (third-person singular simple present utilises, present participle utilising, simple past and past participle utilised) (British spelling)

1. To make use of; to use.
   • 1959 March, “The 2,500 h.p. electric locomotives for the Kent Coast electrification”, in Trains Illustrated, page 125:

     The bodywork employs, where possible, the same constructional methods as for the standard B.R. coaching stock, in order to utilise existing jigs and press tools.

2. To make useful; to find a practical use for.
3. To make best use of; to use to its fullest extent, potential, or ability.
   • 1960 December, “The Glasgow Suburban Electrification is opened”, in Trains Illustrated, page 715:

     Since then we have had the opportunity to travel in them and were much impressed by the internal styling and comfort of the seating (with the minor exception of the single seats which have been tucked in longitudinally alongside some of the entrance vestibules and which are so cramped that only the slimmest of female figures could be comfortable in them; the space they occupy would have been better utilised to increase standing room).

4. To make do with; to use in manner different from that originally intended

Usage notes

Many style guides advise against the use of utilize and utilise, arguing that the simpler verb use is always preferable (and, analogously, that the noun use is preferable to utilization and utilisation). When used simply as a synonym in ordinary writing (as in “please utilise the rear door when exiting the aircraft”) it can strike readers as pretentious, and authorities advise it should be used sparingly.

However, utilise is suited to senses in which use would require circumlocution. Examples of such senses include:

• put to use, as in “... utilise the production capacities of the local industries fully before ordering from foreign industries”;
• exploit or consume, as in “... utilise the support that the system provides, such as by making the most of tax exemptions and special supplies”; or
• make best use of (profitable, practical use, not just general use), as in “... farmers must utilise their land fully to boost food security”.

Synonyms

• employ
• exploit
• use

Derived terms

• utilisation
• utilisable
• utiliser

Translations

References

French

Verb

utilise

1. inflection of utiliser:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative