utilised

Everyday

1. (formal) Used, especially used in a useful or practical way: the space was utilised for storage. tree →
2. (formal) Put to work so that nothing is wasted: all the leftover wood was utilised. tree →

In the lessons

A stiff word of reports, exams and official writing; in everyday talk people just say "used". In maths exam questions it can mean how much of something was used (the fraction of the tank utilised). Phrases: fully utilised, under-utilised, utilised for, effectively utilised.

Examples

• The empty classroom was utilised as a library. tree →
• (formal) Of the 40 seats, 32 were utilised during the event. tree →
• (formal) Ascertain what fraction of the budget was utilised. tree →
• All the scraps of paper were utilised for the art project. tree →
• The new playground is not being fully utilised. tree →
• Solar panels utilised the sunshine to heat the water. tree →
• We just used the old box, though the teacher said we "utilised" it. tree →

Note

British spelling utilised; American spelling utilized. It is the past form and past participle of utilise. Usually "used" is simpler and better. In a maths problem "utilised" means used up or taken: if 32 of 40 seats were utilised, 8 were not.