usable

adjective

us·​able ˈyü-zə-bəl How to pronounce usable (audio)
variants or less commonly useable
Synonyms of usablenext
1
: capable of being used
2
: convenient and practicable for use
usableness
ˈyü-zə-bəl-nəs How to pronounce usable (audio)
noun
usably
ˈyü-zə-blē How to pronounce usable (audio)
adverb

Synonyms of usable

Relevance
See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of usable in a Sentence

Is any of this junk usable? although the spade is usable as a snow shovel, it doesn't do a very good job
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Without usable propellant, those options disappear unless another propulsion system or servicing spacecraft can help. — Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026 At rates exceeding the cap, the internet degrades and is no longer usable. — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 22 Oct. 2026 Panel-ready appliances, dedicated pantry zones, pullout storage and smarter drawer organization all solve the same basic problem, which is having too many things fighting for too little usable space. — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 22 Oct. 2026 However, what really lit up the stock was CEO Andy Jassy's commentary on the three-decade usable life of a data center and the profit dynamics of the hardware that goes into them. — Zev Fima, CNBC, 20 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for usable

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of usable was in the 14th century

Rhymes for usable

See All Rhymes for usable

Browse Nearby Words

usability
usable
USAF
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Usable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/usable. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

usable

adjective
us·​able
ˈyü-zə-bəl
: suitable or fit for use
usable waste
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All