Meanings
plural usages · alternative obsolete usuage
- Habit, practice.
- countableuncountableA custom or established practice.First known use 14th c.
[S]everal young people sung sacred music in the churchyard at night, which it seems is an usage here.
1792, James Boswell, in Danziger & Brady (eds.), Boswell: The Great Biographer (Journals 1789–1795), Yale 1989, p. 1701 more example
Mrs. Wickam, agreeably to the usage of some ladies in her condition, pursued […] the subject, without any compunction.
1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC
- Utilization.
- countableuncountableThe act of using something; use, employment.First known use 14th c.
1 more example
Demand continues to increase, and in 2023-24 recorded usage was higher than pre-COVID, with 384,000 passenger journeys in total (of which 247,000 were at the town location). At the other end of the branch, Truro station had usage of 1.19 million, of which 255,000 were recorded as interchange passengers.
2025 February 19, 'Industry Insider', “South West boost”, in RAIL, number 1029, page 68, about the Falmouth branch - countableuncountablePrevailing language style: how words are used among a populace.First known use 14th c.
In descriptive fact, word senses are established by usage.
1 more example
The years roll by as they always do, and more examples of pIqaD usage for Klingon have been coming to light. Does this still not count as usage?
2016, Mark Shoulson, “pIqaD (Klingon) and its Usage”, in Unicode, archived from the original on 24 Aug 2021, page 1 - archaiccountableuncountableAction towards someone; treatment, especially in negative sense.First known use 16th c.
Whose sharp provokement them incenst so sore, / That both were bent t'avenge his usage base […]
1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC1 more example
Satisfy a child by a constant course of your care and kindness, that you perfectly love him, and he may by degrees be accustom'd to bear very painful and rough usage from you, without flinching or complaining
1693, [John Locke], “§115”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Anglo-Normanusage
- Middle Englishusage
- Englishusage
From Middle English usage, from Anglo-Norman and Old French usage. By surface analysis, use + -age.
More words from Middle English, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek χρῆσις
- χρῆσις (khrêsis)act of using something; use
Arabic اِسْتِخْدَام
- اِسْتِخْدَام (istiḵdām)act of using something; use
Bulgarian употре́ба, оби́чай
- употре́ба (upotréba)act of using something; use
- оби́чай (obíčaj)habit or accepted practice
- употре́ба (upotréba)the way words are spoken or written in a community
Catalan ús, ús
- úsact of using something; use
- úshabit or accepted practice
Chinese Mandarin 用法, 習慣 /习惯
- 用法 (yòngfǎ)act of using something; use
- 習慣 /习惯 (xíguàn)habit or accepted practice
Czech jazyková praxe
- jazyková praxethe way words are spoken or written in a community
Dutch gebruik
- gebruikact of using something; use
Esperanto uzado, lingvaĵo
- uzadoact of using something; use
- lingvaĵothe way words are spoken or written in a community
Finnish käyttö, käsittely
- käyttöact of using something; use
- käsittelyact of using something; use
- käytäntöhabit or accepted practice
- kielenkäyttöthe way words are spoken or written in a community
- puhetapathe way words are spoken or written in a community
French usage, coutume
- usageact of using something; use
- coutumehabit or accepted practice
- usagehabit or accepted practice
- usagethe way words are spoken or written in a community
German Verwendung, Benutzung
- Verwendungact of using something; use
- Benutzungact of using something; use
- Anwendungact of using something; use
- Nutzungact of using something; use
- Brauchhabit or accepted practice
- Gebrauchthe way words are spoken or written in a community
Greek χρήση
- χρήση (chrísi)act of using something; use
Hindi लौकिकता
- लौकिकता (laukiktā)act of using something; use
Hungarian használat, szokás
- használatact of using something; use
- szokáshabit or accepted practice
- gyakorlathabit or accepted practice
- szóhasználatthe way words are spoken or written in a community
Indonesian pakai, pemakaian
- pakaiact of using something; use
- pemakaianact of using something; use
- praktik berbahasathe way words are spoken or written in a community
Italian utilizzo, utilizzi
- utilizzoact of using something; use
- utilizziact of using something; use
- usohabit or accepted practice
- usihabit or accepted practice
Japanese 利用, 使用
- 利用 (riyō)act of using something; use
- 使用 (shiyō)act of using something; use
- 使い (tsukai)act of using something; use
- 使い方 (tsukaikata)act of using something; use
- 使い方 (tsukaikata)habit or accepted practice
- 習慣 (shūkan)habit or accepted practice
- 使い方 (tsukaikata)the way words are spoken or written in a community
- 用法 (yōhō)the way words are spoken or written in a community
Korean 이용, 리용
- 이용 (iyong)act of using something; use
- 리용 (riyong)act of using something; use
- 사용 (sayong)act of using something; use
- 쓰기 (sseugi)act of using something; use
- 씀 (sseum)act of using something; use
Latin ūsus
- ūsusact of using something; use
Latvian lietojums, lietojumi
- lietojumsact of using something; use
- lietojumiact of using something; use
Māori whakamahinga
- whakamahingaact of using something; use
Norwegian Bokmål bruksområde, anvendelse
- bruksområdeact of using something; use
- anvendelsehabit or accepted practice
- brukthe way words are spoken or written in a community
Polish użycie, zwyczaj
- użycieact of using something; use
- zwyczajhabit or accepted practice
- praktykahabit or accepted practice
- uzushabit or accepted practice
- praktyka językowathe way words are spoken or written in a community
- uzus językowythe way words are spoken or written in a community
Portuguese uso, emprego
- usoact of using something; use
- empregohabit or accepted practice
- usohabit or accepted practice
- empregothe way words are spoken or written in a community
Russian испо́льзование, примене́ние
- испо́льзование (ispólʹzovanije)act of using something; use
- примене́ние (primenénije)act of using something; use
- обраще́ние (obraščénije)act of using something; use
- употребле́ние (upotreblénije)act of using something; use
- обы́чай (obýčaj)habit or accepted practice
- обыкнове́ние (obyknovénije)habit or accepted practice
- привы́чка (privýčka)habit or accepted practice
- тради́ция (tradícija)habit or accepted practice
- употребле́ние (upotreblénije)the way words are spoken or written in a community
- языкова́я пра́ктика (jazykovája práktika)the way words are spoken or written in a community
- словоупотребле́ние (slovoupotreblénije)the way words are spoken or written in a community
- у́зус (úzus)the way words are spoken or written in a community
Slovak jazyková prax
- jazyková praxthe way words are spoken or written in a community
Spanish uso, usanza
- usoact of using something; use
- usanzahabit or accepted practice
- usajehabit or accepted practice
Ukrainian ужи́ток, вжи́ток
- ужи́ток (užýtok)act of using something; use
- вжи́ток (vžýtok)act of using something; use
- використа́ння (vykorystánnja)act of using something; use
- кори́стува́ння (korýstuvánnja)act of using something; use
- зви́чай (zvýčaj)habit or accepted practice
- слововжива́ння (slovovžyvánnja)the way words are spoken or written in a community
- слововжи́ток (slovovžýtok)the way words are spoken or written in a community
- у́зус (úzus)the way words are spoken or written in a community
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
usage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/usage
“usage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/usage. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “usage,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/usage.
Source: usage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.