Anglais

avail

gb/əvˈeɪl/ us/əvˈeɪl/
B2 Anglais
~ 4700
Sens
0 sens
Verbe formal C1 action
1

Be of use or help

To be helpful or give an advantage to someone or something.

Schéma d’usage : to avail [someone/something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'avail' with 'available'; 'avail' is a verb meaning 'to help', while 'available' is an adjective meaning 'ready to be used'.
Synonymes
benefit (Implies giving a positive effect or advantage, often broader in scope.) | help (More general and common term for providing assistance.)
Antonymes
harm (Causes damage instead of providing help or advantage.)
Collocations
avail oneself |avail much |avail little |avail greatly
Thèmes
assistance |effectiveness |results |core_vocabulary
Exemples
  • 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
  • The medicine did not avail her.
  • His words did not avail the group.
  • The new plan may avail us.
Verbe formal C1 action
2

Make use of something

To use an opportunity or thing to get a benefit.

Schéma d’usage : to avail oneself of [something]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners often omit 'oneself' when using this reflexive form, which is required in standard usage.
Synonymes
utilize (Slightly more technical; emphasizes putting something to use effectively.) | take advantage of (More common and can have neutral or negative connotations.)
Antonymes
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
Thèmes
opportunity |self-improvement |core_vocabulary
Exemples
  • 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.
Exemples pédagogiques
  • I will avail myself of this chance.
  • She availed herself of the free class.
  • He availed himself of the help.
Nom formal B2 property
3

Usefulness or benefit

Help or benefit from something.

Erreur fréquente :
Learners may not recognize that 'avail' as a noun is mostly used in fixed expressions like 'to no avail'.
Synonymes
benefit (A positive effect or gain from something.) | usefulness (Focuses more on the practical ability to be used effectively.)
Antonymes
uselessness (The state of having no ability to help or benefit.)
Collocations
to no avail |of little avail |be of great avail
Thèmes
assistance |effectiveness |core_vocabulary
Exemples
  • They searched for hours, but to no avail.
  • Her efforts were of little avail.
  • The manual was of great avail during the repair.
Exemples pédagogiques
  • They looked for him to no avail.
  • The book was of great avail.
  • Her words were of little avail.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
avail
API
GB/əvˈeɪl/
US/əvˈeɪl/
Syllabes et accentuation
avail (1 syllabe)
Formes du mot
Noun
  • Base: avail
  • Plural: avail
Verb
  • Base: avail
  • 3rd Person Singular: avails
  • Present Participle: availing
  • Past: availed
Famille de mots
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.

Exemples
  • 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.

Exemples
  • They tried to start the engine, but to no avail.
  • I called him several times, to no avail.

Bon retour parmi nous !

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