using

verb

present participle of use
1
as in utilizing
to put into action or service I will need to use the large hammer for this project

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in treating
to behave toward in a stated way the factory workers were underpaid and poorly used by their employers

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in exploiting
to take unfair advantage of I was paying for everything on our little outing, and I was starting to feel like I was being used

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of using Their role becomes clear at 21-, 36- and 52-Across, where the clues solve to partial entries, which can be completed only by using the entry spaces of those dash clues. — Sam Corbin, New York Times, 13 Oct. 2026 In a small farm context, that will be to a grouping of farmers that form a producer unit using the same practices in the same climate. — Sj Studio, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026 The company’s battery engineers are confident that using the new facility inside those anonymous buildings 15 miles north of Detroit can launch new cell chemistries and formats for EVs and battery energy-storage systems in less time than predicted. — John Voelcker, The Verge, 12 Oct. 2026 But using myoglobin, which is found in animal tissue, could lead to vegetarian products that not only look and bleed like red meat but smell more like it, too. — Lila Magbilang, Scientific American, 12 Oct. 2026 Land managers are already using fire-scar data to decide when to ignite blazes on purpose. — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 Animation is being produced by SiXiTZ Studios, the animation and media studio founded and led by Macdonald, using workflows and technologies built in partnership with Magieva. — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 12 Oct. 2026 And with the National Cancer Institute preparing a major randomized trial of multicancer screening tests using cancer death as the endpoint, the agency should also consider whether approving Grail’s test will impede that work. — H. Gilbert Welch, STAT, 6 Oct. 2026 The short treatment menu includes facials and massages, using Tribe517 products. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for using
  1. utilizing
  2. treating
  3. exploiting
  4. applying
  5. handling
  6. abusing
  7. employing
  8. serving
Verb
  • In both puzzles, Master Sun’s scheme is the best possible strategy utilizing only the ranks of the cards.
    — Dana Mackenzie, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
  • The Los Angeles Police Department already is utilizing AI technology and has plans to integrate it further into its crime-fighting.
    — Jakob McWhinney, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of utilizing
Verb
  • In September, every ward in Sylhet's 100-bed Shahid Shamsuddin Ahmed Hospital, which is treating measles, appeared overwhelmed.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026
  • With the Patriots and Bills accounting for four games on the schedule, the Jets can’t keep treating divisional victories as occasional breakthroughs.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of treating
Verb
  • Leaving aside the comics, tie-books, video games, and other ancillary delights of exploiting successful IP, there’s the Netflix show, of course.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 13 Oct. 2026
  • At least three people were arrested in Florida after allegedly exploiting the chaos left behind by Hurricane Isaias to steal a car and loot a store.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of exploiting
Verb
  • Available pre-mixed in tubs, thinset is the standard material for applying—and reapplying—tile to walls or floors.
    — Lee Wallender, The Spruce, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Only one parent called to vent about the university’s response to the lawsuit, but her son was still planning on applying early decision.
    — Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of applying
Verb
  • Screen Queensland is on board, with Kismet distributing locally and Cornerstone handling international sales.
    — Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The iPhone 18 Pro and 18 Pro Max push the boundaries of what mobile phones can do, such as handling on-device Siri AI calculations and running computational photography algorithms to deliver the best possible images.
    — Eric Zeman, PC Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of handling
Verb
  • In an earlier episode, Pam confronts Grace’s mother about abusing her daughter and ends up bashing in the woman’s head with a meat tenderizer — which sounds like a pivotal moment but plays more like a side quest.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The former owner of several unlicensed North Texas boarding homes pleaded guilty Monday to financially abusing and fatally neglecting elderly and disabled people in her care, according to court filings.
    — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of abusing
Verb
  • But while many data center projects have run aground, others are still getting built — and the companies behind them are employing experts like Nicole Thomas to smooth the way.
    — Dustin DeSoto, Vox, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Plus, data centers aren’t acting with haste or employing new innovations.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of employing
Verb
  • While serving as a public health official, el Sayed wrote an op-ed in 2019 strongly supporting the Green New Deal, arguing that reducing greenhouse gas emissions will help improve public health.
    — Maydeen Merino, The Washington Examiner, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The family has partnered with Salvation Brands to bring the brand to market, with White serving as chief executive officer.
    — Jean E. Palmieri, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of serving

Browse Nearby Words

ushers
using
using up
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Cite this Entry

“Using.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/using. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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