avail
verb · noun · adjective
Simple meaning
To help or benefit someone or something.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
uhvaylSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
əˈveɪl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
transitiveoften reflexive
To turn to the advantage of. [(chiefly) with of]
transitive
To be of service to.
intransitive
To be of use or advantage; to answer or serve the purpose; to have strength, force, or efficacy sufficient to accomplish the object.
Be of use to, be useful to
“It will avail them to dispose of their booty.”
Use to one's advantage
“He availed himself of the available resources.”
transitive
To promote; to assist.
noun
Effect in achieving a goal or aim; purpose, use (now usually in negative constructions).
now only us
Proceeds; profits from business transactions.
adjective
colloquial
Such as one may avail oneself of; capable of being used for the accomplishment of a purpose.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- B2 · Upper Intermediate
- Frequency
- Moderately Common
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To turn to the advantage of. [(chiefly) with of]
Used this way, avail is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- No strong connotation
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Advantageverb
“He availed himself of the available resources.”
Usefulverb
“It will avail them to dispose of their booty.”
More ways to use avail
- “He availed himself of the available resources.”verb
- “It will avail them to dispose of their booty.”verb
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Tap the highlighted word to open its own entry.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
Obtainable or accessible and ready for use or service.
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “avail” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.