Usage Meaning
/ˈjuːsɪd͡ʒ/Definition, CEFR level B1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounHabit, practice.
nounHabit, practice., A custom or established practice.
Sentence Examples
The proliferation of Internet usage has given birth to a new generation of young people.
As an Englishman, he is particularly sensitive to the differences between English and American usage.
A book on current English usage
CEFR Practice Quiz
The daily ____ of water increased dramatically during the severe summer drought.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The book provides several examples of the correct ____ of the word in many different and contexts today.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Anglo-Norman usagebor. Middle English usage English usage From Middle English usage, from Anglo-Norman and Old French usage. Equivalent to use + -age.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Mrs. Wickam, agreeably to the usage of some ladies in her condition, pursued […] the subject, without any compunction."
— 1846 October 1 – 1848 April 1, Charles Dickens, Dombey and Son, London: Bradbury and Evans, […], published 1848, →OCLC:
"Demand continues to increase, and in 2023-24 recorded usage was higher than pre-COVID, with 384,000 passenger journeys in total (of which 247,000 were at the town location). At the other end of the branch, Truro station had usage of 1.19 million, of which 255,000 were recorded as interchange passengers."
— 2025 February 19, 'Industry Insider', “South West boost”, in RAIL, number 1029, page 68, about the Falmouth branch:
"Whose sharp provokement them incenst so sore, / That both were bent t'avenge his usage base […]"
— 1596, Edmund Spenser, “Book IV, Canto IV”, in The Faerie Queene. […], London: […] [John Wolfe] for William Ponsonbie, →OCLC:
"Satisfy a child by a constant course of your care and kindness, that you perfectly love him, and he may by degrees be accustom'd to bear very painful and rough usage from you, without flinching or complaining"
— 1693, [John Locke], “§115”, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education, London: […] A[wnsham] and J[ohn] Churchill, […], →OCLC:
Explore More B1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The daily ____ of water increased dramatically during the severe summer drought.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The book provides several examples of the correct ____ of the word in many different and contexts today.