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1
: failure to use
nonuse of available material
2
: the fact or condition of not being used
Examples of nonuse in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Eventually, the resident next door said the easement was terminated over nonuse.
—Daniel Miller, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2024
Upon their death, the rights can be transferred to an executor or heir for a period of ten years and expire upon nonuse for commercial purposes after two years.
—Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Jan. 2024
But humanity has survived those weapons being in far worse and less stable hands, from the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin to the Chinese tyrant Mao Zedong to the brutal Kim dynasty in North Korea, and there is no reason to believe the pattern of post-1945 nuclear nonuse will change.
—Gideon Rose, Foreign Affairs, 13 June 2023
The coolness lasts for three hours, and the gels fully recharge after just 15 minutes of nonuse.
—Emily Belfiore, Peoplemag, 3 Apr. 2023
The 77-year-old tradition of nuclear nonuse—the nuclear taboo—is the single most important accomplishment of the nuclear age.
—Nina Tannenwald, Scientific American, 10 Mar. 2022
In homes, those problems include premature discarding of foodstuffs, supersize portions, nonuse and misuse.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2021
It’s a recurring situation that results from a history of neglect, questionable policy decisions, philosophic disagreements, inadequate resources, nonuse of available resources — and sometimes chance.
—Michael Smolens Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 Mar. 2021
In a famous 1990s case, a restaurateur in South Africa successfully argued that McDonald’s Corp. had let its trademark lapse through nonuse.
—Khadeeja Safdar, WSJ, 28 June 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'nonuse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near nonuse
Cite this Entry
“Nonuse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/nonuse. Accessed 24 May. 2024.
Kids Definition
nonuse
noun
non·use
-ˈyüs
1
: failure to use
nonuse of available material
2
: the fact or condition of not being used
Legal Definition
nonuse
noun
non·use
ˌnän-ˈyüs
1
: failure to use
nonuse of land
2
: the fact or condition of not being used
More from Merriam-Webster on nonuse
Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for nonuse
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