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Meaning & use

used

adjective·Everyday

Last updated

UK/juːzd/
US/juːzd/

Meanings

  1. adjectivebefore a noun

    Having belonged to or been owned by someone else before; not new.

    Grammar: Usually comes before a noun: 'a used car'; it is not gradable in this sense.

    Patterns

    • a used car
    • used books
    • used furniture

    They bought a used car to keep their payments low.

    The library sells used books for a dollar each.

    We furnished the cabin with used furniture from the auction.

  2. adjectiveafter a verb

    Familiar with something through experience or repetition; accustomed.

    Grammar: Only used after a linking verb and always with 'to' plus a noun or -ing: 'be used to the noise'.

    Patterns

    • be used to something
    • get used to doing something
    • grow used to something

    I'm used to the cold winters now, so they don't bother me.

    You'll get used to commuting by train after a few weeks.

    She never grew used to the rooster's early crowing.

Word forms

comparativemore used
superlativemost used

Common combinations

used car
Buying a used car lowered her monthly payments.
used books
He found used books for under two dollars each.
get used to something
It took a month to get used to the noise.
be used to doing something
She is used to waking up before sunrise.

Synonyms and how they differ

secondhand
Exactly matches sense 1 for goods, but it cannot replace 'accustomed' in sense 2.
accustomed
Matches sense 2 and is more formal; it cannot describe goods in sense 1.

Opposites

newunused

Word family

use verb
To put something to work or purpose; also a noun meaning purpose or employment.
useful adjective
Able to be used to good effect.
useless adjective
Not able to help or work.
user noun
A person who uses something.
usage noun
The way something is used, or customary language practice.

Commonly confused: used or used to (past habit)? used or use to?

used vs used to (past habit)

'Used to' plus a base verb expresses a past habit, as in 'I used to swim'; 'be used to' plus -ing means accustomed, as in 'I am used to swimming'.

used vs use to

In questions and negatives about past habits, American English writes 'did you use to' and 'didn't use to' without a d, but 'be/get used to' always keeps it.

Practice

It took me a while to get used to ___ on the left side of the road.

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