avail oneself of

avail (oneself) of

To utilize an available resource. I was so overwhelmed trying to get my house ready for the party that I availed myself of a local cleaning service. My dear students, I encourage you to avail yourself of the campus library as much as possible.See also: avail, of

avail oneself of something

to help oneself by making use of something that is available. We availed ourselves of Tom's goodwill and let him repair the fence. The campers availed themselves of the first chance in a week to take a shower.See also: avail, of

avail oneself of

1. Take advantage of, benefit by. For example, To get a better mortgage, he availed himself of the employee credit union. [Late 1500s] 2. Use, employ, as in I'll avail myself of the first cab to come along. [Mid-1800s] See also: avail, of