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Definitions

used

[yoozd, yoost] / yuzd, yust /
ADJECTIVE
secondhand
Synonyms
STRONG
recycled worn
WEAK
hand-me-down nearly new not new passed down pre-owned

Usage

What is another way to say used? What is used often has depreciated or been diminished, sometimes completely consumed: a used automobile; All the butter has been used. Used is the past participle of use, which is a general verb: to use a telephone; to use a saw and other tools; to use one's eyes; to use eggs in cooking. As applied to persons, use implies some selfish or sinister purpose: to use another to advance oneself. Utilize implies practical or profitable use: to utilize the means at hand, a modern system of lighting.

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Those ships are mostly used to move Iranian exports to markets like China and India.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

If you want to see what Coachella used to look like, take a trip down memory lane with our gallery of photos going back to 1999.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

Snow Secure uses a similar concept, with a cooling blanket made from a material commonly used as home insulation in Finland.

From Slate • Apr. 11, 2026

Paying off that amount of debt requires a large income to begin with, of course, but her strategy could be used by others dealing with lower levels of debt.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 11, 2026

Karli and I used to watch them from our bedroom window, and always wonder what they were saying.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo