used

[ yoozd yoost ]

adjective

1. previously used or owned; secondhand:

   a used car.

2. showing wear or being worn out:

   a thrift store that accepts used clothing.

3. employed for a purpose; utilized:

   a frequently used dictionary.

used

/ juːzd /

adjective

1. bought or sold second-hand

   used cars

Other Words From

• half-used adjective
• well-used adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of used¹

First recorded in 1325–75; use + -ed ²

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. used to, accustomed or habituated to:

   I'm not used to cold weather. They weren't used to getting up so early.

More idioms and phrases containing used

In addition to the idiom beginning with used , also see it takes getting used to . Also see under use .

Example Sentences

Over the past 20 years, the team has used the institute’s underwater technology to gather more information on the sea slug.

From Los Angeles Times

It uses a cavernous hood to trap crustaceans to eat — a feeding strategy also used by anemones and some jellies.

From Los Angeles Times

That came days after the BBC reported that a senior Azerbaijani official appeared to have used his role at COP to arrange a meeting to discuss potential fossil fuel deals.

From BBC

“I kind of taught myself to get used to it and ignore it, but the week of the election it became utterly impossible to just ignore it.”

From Los Angeles Times

Gaetz has denied all wrongdoing, although until he resigned from Congress on Wednesday night, he was still the subject of an open investigation being conducted by the House Ethics Committee into whether he committed sexual misconduct or used illegal drugs.

From Slate