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

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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 All three said West Point appears to be circumventing the judge's ruling by using a different justification to continue to enforce its speech rules. — Arkansas Online, 27 Oct. 2026 How people are using agents Several themes are emerging from people testing agents in their personal and professional lives. — Marty Swant, Washington Post, 27 Oct. 2026 Kyiv has accused Russian forces of mining nearby roads and using the remaining residents as human shields to prevent Ukraine’s army from conducting offensive operations in the town. — Yuliya Talmazan, NBC news, 27 Oct. 2026 Too Many Strikers—using intricate, mosaic production to go against the grain. — Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 27 Oct. 2026 Players must solve puzzles using the camera to try to break the cycle of madness. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 26 Oct. 2026 Key audiences are undoubtedly using LLMs to gather information about your company. — Chintan Shah, Forbes.com, 26 Oct. 2026 Lamy, now with the Jacques Delors Institute, was one of the authors of a recent policy paper that called for restrictions on Chinese exports using a quota system — an idea that the EU has now embraced. — semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026 Typically custom-designed using specialized steel, some are so massive that transporting them can require moving power lines. — Alex Pasternack, Scientific American, 20 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
  • Some customers suggest opening the whole thing ahead of Christmas and utilizing the calendar’s components as stocking stuffers.
    — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Just keep in mind that installation involves basic electrical wiring, and fully utilizing the camera requires an ongoing Ring Protect subscription.
    — John R. Delaney, PC Magazine, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of utilizing
Verb
  • Rather than treating logistics and air defense as entirely separate missions, the same basic platform could support different tasks through modular equipment and mission-specific configurations.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 25 Oct. 2026
  • The first generation to grow up with free trades on their phones is treating the election as a market event.
    — Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of treating
Verb
  • While the software flaws have now been found and patches issued, the question remains whether enough of the internet will deploy the patches in time, before hackers start exploiting the vulnerability to attack websites and steal vital data.
    — Emily Forlini, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • The blueprint included the recruitment of mercenaries and exploiting the grievances of disaffected citizens, from religious fanatics and extremists to soccer fans.
    — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of exploiting
Verb
  • Agarwal is effectively taking infrastructure developed around one of the most document-heavy and regulated consumer financial transactions and applying it to a wider collection of financial problems.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 22 Oct. 2026
  • There is a special difficulty in applying just-war theory to wars between a powerful military and an insurgent group.
    — Jordi Graupera, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of applying
Verb
  • Employee in cafe area wearing wrist jewelry while handling food.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • One, published in Case Reports in Infectious Diseases, described a chef who may have contracted psittacosis through handling poultry.
    — Rachel Melegrito, Scientific American, 26 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
  • These are basically less privileged neighborhoods where the government is meant to show a greater focus on education by employing more teachers and so on.
    — Elektra Kotsoni, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Ukraine has gotten very good at drone warfare, employing these little robots both in offensive and defensive capacities.
    — Mike Wall, Space.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of employing
Verb
  • Even Blair herself has been rejected by a bank for serving as OnlyFans’ CEO.
    — Jim Edwards, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Imprisoned since 2004 and serving a life sentence, Buchanan was accused of directing drug sales, extortion, gambling and violence across San Diego County and beyond.
    — Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 22 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 27 Oct. 2026.

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