avail
gb/əvˈeɪl/ us/əvˈeɪl/
B2
English
~ 4700
Senses
0 senses
Verb
formal
C1
action
1
Be of use or help
To be helpful or give an advantage to someone or something.
Usage pattern:
to avail [someone/something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'avail' with 'available'; 'avail' is a verb meaning 'to help', while 'available' is an adjective meaning 'ready to be used'.
Synonyms
benefit (Implies giving a positive effect or advantage, often broader in scope.)
|
help (More general and common term for providing assistance.)
Antonyms
harm (Causes damage instead of providing help or advantage.)
Collocations
avail oneself
|avail much
|avail little
|avail greatly
Themes
assistance
|effectiveness
|results
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The extra training did not avail the team in the final match.
- No amount of pleading could avail him.
- The new evidence may avail the defendant in court.
Learner examples
- The medicine did not avail her.
- His words did not avail the group.
- The new plan may avail us.
Verb
formal
C1
action
2
Make use of something
To use an opportunity or thing to get a benefit.
Usage pattern:
to avail oneself of [something]
Common mistake:
Learners often omit 'oneself' when using this reflexive form, which is required in standard usage.
Synonyms
utilize (Slightly more technical; emphasizes putting something to use effectively.)
|
take advantage of (More common and can have neutral or negative connotations.)
Antonyms
miss out on (Fail to take advantage of an opportunity.)
Collocations
avail oneself of the chance
|avail oneself of the opportunity
|avail oneself of resources
Themes
opportunity
|self-improvement
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She availed herself of the free training program.
- Visitors are encouraged to avail themselves of the library's resources.
- He availed himself of every chance to improve his skills.
Learner examples
- I will avail myself of this chance.
- She availed herself of the free class.
- He availed himself of the help.
Noun
formal
B2
property
3
Usefulness or benefit
Help or benefit from something.
Common mistake:
Learners may not recognize that 'avail' as a noun is mostly used in fixed expressions like 'to no avail'.
Synonyms
benefit (A positive effect or gain from something.)
|
usefulness (Focuses more on the practical ability to be used effectively.)
Antonyms
uselessness (The state of having no ability to help or benefit.)
Collocations
to no avail
|of little avail
|be of great avail
Themes
assistance
|effectiveness
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- They searched for hours, but to no avail.
- Her efforts were of little avail.
- The manual was of great avail during the repair.
Learner examples
- They looked for him to no avail.
- The book was of great avail.
- Her words were of little avail.
Grammar
Dictionary form
avail
IPA
GB/əvˈeɪl/
US/əvˈeɪl/
Syllables & stress
avail (1 syllable)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: avail
- Plural: avail
Verb
- Base: avail
- 3rd Person Singular: avails
- Present Participle: availing
- Past: availed
Word family
Forms
avails
verb
availing
verb
availed
verb
Core family
available
adjective A2
availability
noun B2
Negative and opposite forms
unavailable
adjective B1
unavailability
noun
Expressions
avail oneself of
1/əvˈeɪl wˌʌnsˈɛlf əv/
fixed phrase
formal
Make use of something
To use an opportunity, offer, or resource for your own benefit.
Examples
- You should avail yourself of all the support available.
- He availed himself of the company's travel discount.
to no avail
1/tə nˈoʊ əvˈeɪl/
idiom
Without success or result
Used to say that something was done but did not work or help.
Examples
- They tried to start the engine, but to no avail.
- I called him several times, to no avail.