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Meaning & use

out of use

phrase·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˌaʊt əv ˈjuːs/
US/ˌaʊt əv ˈjuːs/

Meanings

  1. phraseafter a verb

    No longer used or being used, either because it is broken, closed or replaced, or simply because people have stopped using it.

    Grammar: Follows be, go, fall or put: the lift is out of use.

    Patterns

    • be out of use
    • fall out of use
    • put something out of use

    The old ferry has been out of use since the bridge opened.

    A sign on the machine said it was out of use until Friday.

    Several of the platforms were out of use during the repairs.

  2. phraseafter a verb

    Describing a word, custom or technology that people have stopped using over time.

    Grammar: Usually fall or go out of use, with the idea of a gradual change.

    Patterns

    • fall out of use
    • go out of use

    Many of these old words have gone out of use in modern English.

    Typewriters fell out of use in most offices during the 1990s.

Common combinations

fall out of use
That spelling fell out of use long ago.
go out of use
Some tools have gone out of use entirely.
temporarily out of use
The toilets on this floor are temporarily out of use.
put out of use
The storm put the harbor out of use for a week.
been out of use for years
The well has been out of use for years.

Synonyms and how they differ

out of order
Out of order suggests something is broken and should work, while out of use may mean it is closed or abandoned on purpose.
obsolete
Obsolete means no longer needed because something better replaced it, so it is stronger and more final than out of use.
disused
Disused is an adjective that fits before a noun, such as a disused station, where out of use does not.
unavailable
Unavailable focuses on you being unable to get something now, whether or not it is broken or closed.

Opposites

in useoperational

Word family

use noun
the act of using something
use verb
to employ something for a purpose
disuse noun
the state of no longer being used
disused adjective
no longer used, as a place or building

Commonly confused: out of use or out of order?

out of use vs out of order

Out of order means faulty, as in a vending machine that is out of order, while out of use only says it is not being used.

Practice

The ticket machine on platform two is ____ until an engineer arrives.

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