availed; availing; avails
: to produce or result in as a benefit or advantage : gain
His efforts availed him nothing.
see also avail oneself of
Examples of avail in a Sentence
Verb
In such a Hobbesian world, grand idealistic designs will avail the United States nothing. Nor will a quest for American dominance in the name of the good.
—
Laura Secor, New York Times Book Review, 26 June 2005
Soon middle-class girls were slipping into their starched white shirtwaists, marching into a place of business … and eventually standing up as private secretaries, bank tellers, accountants, and managers. So many, in fact, availed themselves of this new opportunity that by 1900 nearly 75 percent of all clerical workers in America were women (Bliven puts the number, in 1888, at 60,000); and for decades the typist and her machine were both called "typewriters."
—Arthur Krystal, Harper's, December 2002
One comes away from the book stunned by the remarkable energy and willingness to resist that so many demonstrated but haunted by the recognition of how little that resistance availed.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2002
Our best efforts did not avail.
all your begging will not avail you in the least
Noun
It seemed to be the national dish, as it appeared on every menu. It is a spicy pork or veal stew with tomatoes and onions and a little sour cream on top. It was fabulous, and I'm dying to get the recipe. I've spent hours looking for it on the internet to no avail.
—Linda Walker, Cook's Country, June 1995
In the 14th century the porcelain from China made its way westward along trade routes to Europe's rich and royal. The artisans of Europe tried to duplicate the Chinese formula and process, but to no avail.
—Hattie Clark, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 1987
although I appreciate the concern, your help would be of little avail in this situation
Laura Secor, New York Times Book Review, 26 June 2005
Soon middle-class girls were slipping into their starched white shirtwaists, marching into a place of business … and eventually standing up as private secretaries, bank tellers, accountants, and managers. So many, in fact, availed themselves of this new opportunity that by 1900 nearly 75 percent of all clerical workers in America were women (Bliven puts the number, in 1888, at 60,000); and for decades the typist and her machine were both called "typewriters."
—Arthur Krystal, Harper's, December 2002
One comes away from the book stunned by the remarkable energy and willingness to resist that so many demonstrated but haunted by the recognition of how little that resistance availed.
—Louis Menand, New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2002
Our best efforts did not avail.
all your begging will not avail you in the least
Noun
It seemed to be the national dish, as it appeared on every menu. It is a spicy pork or veal stew with tomatoes and onions and a little sour cream on top. It was fabulous, and I'm dying to get the recipe. I've spent hours looking for it on the internet to no avail.
—Linda Walker, Cook's Country, June 1995
In the 14th century the porcelain from China made its way westward along trade routes to Europe's rich and royal. The artisans of Europe tried to duplicate the Chinese formula and process, but to no avail.
—Hattie Clark, Christian Science Monitor, 3 Aug. 1987
although I appreciate the concern, your help would be of little avail in this situation
Recent Examples on the Web
ABC News, 22 Nov. 2025
While organizations such as the Community Association Institute (CAI) and the Executive Council of Homeowners (ECHO) are very active in California; unfortunately, most owners do not avail themselves of their educational offerings.
—Kelly G. Richardson, Oc Register, 14 Nov. 2025
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 29 Nov. 2025
Dallas is publicly on the hunt for a big-time pass-rusher to replace Micah Parsons, and has reached out to the Las Vegas Raiders about Maxx Crosby and the Cincinnati Bengals regarding Trey Hendrickson -- thus far to no avail.
—Max Dible, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avail
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Verb
Millions of additional users avail themselves of xAI's Grok, Google's Gemini and Meta's MetaAI.
—ABC News, 22 Nov. 2025
While organizations such as the Community Association Institute (CAI) and the Executive Council of Homeowners (ECHO) are very active in California; unfortunately, most owners do not avail themselves of their educational offerings.
—Kelly G. Richardson, Oc Register, 14 Nov. 2025
Noun
Red, yellow and blue have each taken their turn to no avail.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 29 Nov. 2025
Dallas is publicly on the hunt for a big-time pass-rusher to replace Micah Parsons, and has reached out to the Las Vegas Raiders about Maxx Crosby and the Cincinnati Bengals regarding Trey Hendrickson -- thus far to no avail.
—Max Dible, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for avail
Cite this Entry
“Avail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/avail. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
avail
1 of 2 verb
: to be of use or help
avail
2 of 2 noun
: help toward reaching a goal
effort of no avail
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