释义
[ uh -veyl ] SHOW IPA
/ əˈveɪl / PHONETIC RESPELLING
SEE SYNONYMS FOR avail ON THESAURUS.COM
verb (used with object) to be of use or value to; profit; advantage: All our efforts availed us little in trying to effect a change.
verb (used without object) to be of use; have force or efficacy; serve; help: His strength did not avail against the hostile onslaught.
to be of value or profit.
noun advantage; use; efficacy; effective use in the achievement of a goal or objective: His belated help will be of little or no avail.
avails, Archaic . profits or proceeds.
Idioms for availavail oneself of , to use to one's advantage: They availed themselves of the opportunity to hear a free concert.
Origin of avail 1250–1300; Middle English
availe, equivalent to
a- a-
2 +
vaile <Old French
vail- (stem of
valoir ) <Latin
valēre to be of worth
OTHER WORDS FROM avail a·vail·ing·ly, adverb un·a·vailed, adjective Words nearby avail auxotroph, auxotrophic, Av, ava, avadavat, avail , available, available light, avail oneself of, avalanche, avalanche lily
Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for avail Several member states reportedly tried to swap the order of speakers to address the lack of women on Day 1, but to no avail .
The UN General Assembly is the ultimate ‘manel’ | Claire Zillman, reporter| September 23, 2020| Fortune
What some politicians and activists had long sought to do to no avail — place working parents and their child care crisis on the center stage of American politics — the virus has done in a matter of months.
Why It Took So Long For Politicians To Treat The Child Care Crisis As A Crisis | Clare Malone (clare.malone@fivethirtyeight.com)| July 16, 2020| FiveThirtyEight
According to the friend, Brinsley rang his ex-girlfriend, an Air Force reservist named Shaneka Thompson, to no avail .
Alleged Cop Killer’s Blood-Soaked Screenplay | M.L. Nestel| December 24, 2014| DAILY BEAST
The left had long tried to resist it through a diverse mix of organizations, devoted to different goals, and all to no avail .
The Left’s Answer to ALEC | Ben Jacobs| December 15, 2014| DAILY BEAST
In Germany, sex workers get to avail themselves of the same social-welfare infrastructure as all other German workers.
Why It's Time to Legalize Prostitution | Cathy Reisenwitz| August 15, 2014| DAILY BEAST
This woke her husband, who questioned and tried to console her, to no avail .
Knocking on Heaven's Door: True Stories of Unexplained, Uncanny Experiences at the Hour of Death | Patricia Pearson| August 11, 2014| DAILY BEAST
Both have nerve-wracked parents who tell them to sit still every 30 seconds, to no avail .
Why Giving Adderall to Toddlers Is So Completely, Utterly Wrong | Russell Saunders| May 19, 2014| DAILY BEAST
So she did avail herself of his zeal,—and that without any scruple.
Doctor Thorne | Anthony Trollope
All that medical science could suggest was done to no avail .
Alcohol: A Dangerous and Unnecessary Medicine, How and Why | Martha M. Allen
Thus far, at least, are we safe; for which may Heaven alone be praised, since no art of mine could avail us a feather.
The Red Rover | James Fenimore Cooper
There was no conversation now, for the fear in every heart was that they would arrive at the ford too late to avail .
Winning His "W" | Everett Titsworth Tomlinson
Of the unexpected evidence I had found I was most eager to avail myself.
Devereux, Complete | Edward Bulwer-Lytton
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British Dictionary definitions for avail verb to be of use, advantage, profit, or assistance (to)
avail oneself of to make use of to one's advantage
noun use or advantage (esp in the phrases of no avail, to little avail )
Derived forms of avail availingly , adverb Word Origin for avail C13 availen, from vailen, from Old French valoir, from Latin valēre to be strong, prevail
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Idioms and Phrases with avail In addition to the idiom beginning with avail
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
Words related to avail account, service, advantage, usefulness, applicability, fitness, appropriateness, satisfy, profit, suffice, work, serve, benefit, meet, answer, fulfill, fill