available

Everyday

1. Available means you can get it, buy it or use it now. tree →
2. Available means a person is free to see you or help, not busy. tree →

In the lessons

In shops «available» means on sale or in stock. In maths problems «available seats» or «available money» tells you the limit you can use. In everyday life: «Is the teacher available?» means free to talk. Opposite: unavailable, sold out, busy.

Examples

• Tickets are available at the front desk. tree →
• Is this book available in the library? tree →
• There are 30 seats available on the bus. tree →
• The new game is available in shops now. tree →
• Sorry, Mrs Lee is not available right now. tree →
• Use all the available space on the page. tree →
• How many places are still available if 18 of 25 are taken? tree →
• Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. tree →

Note

No -er/-est; say «more available». Starts with a vowel sound: «an available seat». In maths «available» often gives the total or the limit; the remaining number = available − used.