avail Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun a means of serving
    help; service.
    • of no avail
    • there's no help for it
  2. verb use to one's advantage
    • He availed himself of the available resources
  3. verb be of use to, be useful to
    • It will avail them to dispose of their booty
  4. verb take or use
    help.
    • She helped herself to some of the office supplies

WordNet

A*vail" transitive verb
Etymology
OE. availen, fr. F. (L. ad) + valoir to be worth, fr. L. valere to be strong, to be worth. See Valiant.
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Availed (); present participle & verbal noun Availing
Definitions
  1. To turn to the advantage of; to be of service to; to profit; to benefit; to help; as, artifices will not avail the sinner in the day of judgment.
    O, what avails me now that honor high ! Milton.
  2. To promote; to assist. Obs. Pope.
    Then shall they seek to avail themselves of names. Milton.
    I have availed myself of the very first opportunity. Dickens.
A*vail" intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To be of use or advantage; to answer the purpose; to have strength, force, or efficacy sufficient to accomplish the object; as, the plea in bar must avail, that is, be sufficient to defeat the suit; this scheme will not avail; medicines will not avail to check the disease. "What signs avail ?" Milton.
    Words avail very little with me, young man. Sir W. Scott.
A*vail" noun
Definitions
  1. Profit; advantage toward success; benefit; value; as, labor, without economy, is of little avail.
    The avail of a deathbed repentance. Jer. Taylor.
  2. pl. Proceeds; as, the avails of a sale by auction.
    The avails of their own industry. Stoddard.
    Syn. -- Use; benefit; utility; profit; service.
A*vail" transitive verb & intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. See Avale, v. Obs. Spenser.

Webster 1913