Meaning & use
utilize
To make practical or effective use of something, especially for a specific purpose.
See it in a sentence
The clinic utilizes volunteer nurses to keep costs low during the summer program.
Engineers utilized recycled materials to build the temporary shelter after the storm.
A note on using this word
Utilize often sounds more formal than the simpler 'use,' and careful writers reserve it for cases where something is put to a new or resourceful purpose rather than as a plain substitute.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Make it your own
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