Use crossword clue

The most likely answers for the crossword clue “Use” are ROLE, WORK or FIND, with 4 letters. Below are 100 answers from 3 to 13 letters, best match first in each length, then what each top answer means and how to tell them apart.

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The best answers, explained

EAT 3 letters · verb

use up (resources or materials)

ROLE 4 letters · noun

what something is used for

APPLY 5 letters · verb

put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose “Apply a magnetic field here”

EMPLOY 6 letters · verb

put into service; make work or employ for a particular purpose or for its inherent or natural purpose

PURPOSE 7 letters · noun

what something is used for

PRACTICE 8 letters · verb

avail oneself to “practice a religion”

ENJOYMENT 9 letters · noun

(law) the exercise of the legal right to enjoy the benefits of owning property

EMPLOYMENT 10 letters · noun

the act of using

CONSUMPTION 11 letters · noun

(economics) the utilization of economic goods to satisfy needs or in manufacturing “the consumption of energy has increased steadily”

MANIPULATION 12 letters · noun

exerting shrewd or devious influence especially for one's own advantage “his manipulation of his friends was scandalous”

WORTHLESSNESS 13 letters · noun

the quality of being without practical use

Telling them apart

With 4 squares, ROLE, WORK, FIND, HELP, PLAY and TALK all fit. The first letter tells them all apart: R → ROLE · W → WORK · F → FIND · H → HELP · P → PLAY · T → TALK. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 5 squares, APPLY, HABIT, USAGE, FOUND, POINT and LEVEL all fit. The first letter tells them all apart: A → APPLY · H → HABIT · U → USAGE · F → FOUND · P → POINT · L → LEVEL. Fill in that crossing answer first.

With 3 squares, EAT, TAX, BAT, TAP, HAY and PLY all fit. The first letter settles most of it: E → EAT · T → TAX, TAP · B → BAT · H → HAY · P → PLY. Fill in that crossing answer first.

Other forms of this clue

Clues often use another form of the word, and the answer then takes the same form: “used” wants an answer that ends the same way.

What “use” means

• noun: the act of using (“he warned against the use of narcotic drugs”)
• noun: what something is used for (“ballet is beautiful but what use is it?”)
• noun: a particular service (“he put his knowledge to good use”)
• noun: (economics) the utilization of economic goods to satisfy needs or in manufacturing

A clue usually points at one of these senses, so the right answer is the one that matches the sense the puzzle means: check it against the crossing words.

About these answers

We match the clue against our own thesaurus and dictionary (Open English WordNet): words that mean the same as USE, and words whose definition is USE. We don't copy answers from newspaper puzzles, so a clue that leans on trivia or wordplay may need the crossing letters instead.