usage

noun

ˈyü-sij How to pronounce usage (audio)
Definition of usagenext
as in use
the act or practice of employing something for a particular purpose the machine's warranty does not cover malfunctions that result from improper usage

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How does the noun usage differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of usage are custom, habit, practice, and wont. While all these words mean "a way of acting fixed through repetition," usage suggests a customary action so generally followed that it has become a social norm.

western-style dress is now common usage in international business

Where would custom be a reasonable alternative to usage?

The synonyms custom and usage are sometimes interchangeable, but custom applies to a practice or usage so steadily associated with an individual or group as to have almost the force of unwritten law.

the custom of wearing black at funerals

When could habit be used to replace usage?

In some situations, the words habit and usage are roughly equivalent. However, habit implies a doing unconsciously and often compulsively.

had a habit of tapping his fingers

When might practice be a better fit than usage?

The words practice and usage are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, practice suggests an act or method followed with regularity and usually through choice.

our practice is to honor all major credit cards

When is wont a more appropriate choice than usage?

While in some cases nearly identical to usage, wont usually applies to a habitual manner, method, or practice of an individual or group.

as was her wont, she slept until noon

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 usage While all plans offer unlimited standard data, only Unleashed includes unlimited high-speed data without any data usage thresholds. —Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 16 July 2025 Teen usage was a driving force for SB 243’s champion, state Sen. Steve Padilla, D-San Diego. —Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 16 July 2025 With school out for most young people, TV usage among kids 6 to 17 increased 27% compared with May, with streaming accounting for two-thirds of the group’s TV time. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 15 July 2025 Make conscious choices about AI usage, support sustainable AI development and hold companies accountable for their environmental footprint. —Cornelia C. Walther, Forbes.com, 7 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for usage
Recent Examples of Synonyms for usage
  1. use
  2. application
Noun
  • The creation of this content included the use of AI based on templates created, reviewed and edited by journalists in the newsroom.
    — CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 20 July 2025
  • Moonshot’s technology was created for use in counter-terrorism and is also in use by the U.S. government.
    — Alyce Brown, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2025
Definition of use
Noun
  • Singer continued to advise prospective undergraduates on their college applications while serving his sentence in federal prison in Florida, and from a California halfway house after his release.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2025
  • The most dramatic application of this asymmetric approach came in June, when a fleet of more than a hundred Ukrainian drones struck targets as far away as Siberia, destroying or damaging some twenty Russian warplanes.
    — Dexter Filkins, New Yorker, 14 July 2025
Definition of application

Browse Nearby Words

usable
usage
usages
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Cite this Entry

“Usage.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/usage. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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