make use

English

Verb

make use (third-person singular simple present makes use, present participle making use, simple past and past participle made use)

1. (with of) To use, usually productively and/or for a specific purpose.
   • 1934 February, “The Why and The Wherefore: Chair-keys”, in Railway Magazine, page 139:

     The wooden or steel keys used to secure bull-head rails in their chairs are usually driven in the direction of the traffic, so that the effects of rail-creep may be made use of to wedge the keys more firmly, rather than to encourage them to drop out.

   • 2003, Mary Beth Rossen, John M. Carroll, “53: Scenario-Based Design”, in Julie A. Jacko, Andrew Sears, editors, The Human-Computer Interaction Handbook: Fundamentals, Evolving Technologies, and Emerging Applications, page 1047:

     When we design interactive systems, we make use. We create possibilities for learning, work, and leisure, for interaction and information.

2. (archaic) To help oneself.
   • 1613, William Shakespeare, The Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eight‎^[1]:

     Good Cromwell, neglect him not; make use now, and provide for thine own future safety.

Usage notes

Almost always followed by of.

Synonyms

• (use): employ, exploit, take advantage of

Translations

to use

• Arabic:

  Egyptian Arabic: استعمل (istaʕmil)

• Catalan: usar (ca), emprar (ca)
• Dutch: gebruikmaken van
• Finnish: käyttää (fi)
• French: faire usage (fr) (de), se servir de (fr)
• Galician: empregar (gl), usar (gl)
• Greek:

  Ancient: νομίζω (nomízō)

• Italian: usare (it)
• Japanese: 活用する (katsuyō suru)
• Latin: utor (la), uso
• Old English: nēotan
• Polish: posiłkować się impf
• Portuguese: empregar (pt), usar (pt)
• Russian: использовать (ru) (ispolʹzovatʹ), воспользоваться (ru) (vospolʹzovatʹsja), употреблять (ru) (upotrebljatʹ), применять (ru) (primenjatʹ), пользоваться (ru) (polʹzovatʹsja), извле́чь по́льзу (izvléčʹ pólʹzu)
• Scottish Gaelic: dèan feum de
• Spanish: valerse (es), hacer uso de, echar mano de, usar (es)
• Swedish: dra nytta
• Turkish: değerlendirmek (tr), faydalanmak (tr)

to help oneself

• Finnish: toimia (fi)
• French: se servir (fr)
• Galician: axudar (gl), aproveitar (gl)

make use of something — see take advantage