disused

Everyday

1. No longer used, especially a building, railway or mine: a disused factory. tree →
2. Left empty and forgotten. tree →

In the lessons

In stories, disused railways, mines and buildings are mysterious or dangerous places; in safety lessons children are told to keep out of disused quarries, wells and buildings. Phrases: «a disused railway line», «a disused mine», «a disused warehouse».

Examples

• We walked along the disused railway line, now a bike path. tree →
• Never play in a disused quarry; the water is very cold and deep. tree →
• The disused factory had broken windows. tree →
• Bats lived in the disused mine. tree →
• They turned the disused church into a library. tree →
• The old well was disused and covered with a lid. tree →

Note

Say «dis-YOOZD». Not the same as «unused» (never used yet: an unused notebook) or «misused» (used wrongly). Disused things were used once but are not now.