availing

1. 1
   verb

   Present participle and gerund of avail.

   Thousands of commuters are availing themselves of the new rail pass.

   She signed the lease without availing herself of legal advice.

   Note

   The -ing form does most of its work in one fixed pattern, a reflexive pronoun followed by of: commuters availing themselves of a pass. After be it is a participle; after by or without, a gerund. In Indian and African English it can also take a plain object, as in availing a loan. The same spelling serves as an adjective meaning effective.

2. 2
   adjective

   Able to produce the intended or desired effect.

   Neither threats nor promises proved availing in the negotiations.

   Quiet diplomacy turned out to be far more availing than public pressure.

   Similareffective, effectual, successful, useful

   Oppositeineffective, futile, useless

3. 3
   noundateduncountable

   The effect something has in achieving a goal or aim, or the purpose or use it is put to.

   Any use would probably be an availing of the protection afforded by the passport.

   Similaruse

   Note

   A dated noun for the use someone makes of a right, an offer or a resource, and it rarely appears without of: an availing of the protection, the company's availing of a tax credit. It takes a or a possessive in front and never a plural. In everyday prose it sounds formal and old-fashioned; making use of says the same thing more plainly.

Showing meanings only. Show all 3