available
Americanadjective
-
suitable or ready for use; of use or service; at hand.
I used whatever tools were available.
- Synonyms:
- handy, usable, accessible
-
readily obtainable; accessible.
available resources.
-
(of a person) free or willing to do something; not occupied.
I’m sorry, Mrs. Clarke is not available to speak with you right now.
-
not involved in a romantic or sexual relationship; single.
Why would you tell Rachel that I’m available when you know how serious I am about Tina?
-
Archaic.
-
efficacious, advantageous, or profitable.
-
legally valid.
-
adjective
-
obtainable or accessible; capable of being made use of; at hand
-
derogatory politics suitable for public office, usually as a result of having an inoffensive character
Smith was a particularly available candidate
Other Word Forms
- availability noun
- availableness noun
- availably adverb
- interavailable adjective
- unavailable adjective
- unavailableness noun
- unavailably adverb
Etymology
Origin of available
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; see origin at avail, -able
Explanation
"Is this seat available?" "Are you available, or are you married?" As you can tell from these two examples, available means "not busy or not taken." Available can be used to describe anything that's ready to be used like a restaurant table or a theater seat. It can also be used to describe a person who is not involved in a romantic relationship: "Available singles use online dating websites." When you use a resource, like the school library, you can say that you "avail yourself to the research opportunities made available to students." No matter how you slice it, available means free for the taking.
Vocabulary lists containing available
"Principles of Business," Vocabulary from Chapter 1
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Here! Synonyms For "Present"
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"The Secret Water"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Details of what burglars stole from that home were not yet available Sunday morning.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 19, 2026
If the benefits of membership are available at low cost, people have an incentive to take without contributing.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026
He prefers using pre-peeled garlic, which is readily available in bulk at Costco, and storing it in a Ziploc bag before placing it in the freezer.
From Salon • Apr. 19, 2026
When he got to Heathrow Airport, though, he learned that he’d arrived too late to catch his next flight and there wouldn’t be another one available for two more days.
From Slate • Apr. 19, 2026
The first two names I called were not available, but on the third call, a gruff voice answered with a word that sounded like “haaawdy” and then asked, “Whut due ya’ll need...?”
From This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
