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.

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.

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

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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References in periodicals archive ?

Note that the classification of a worker's status may have other repercussions, as it can impact certain other rights and benefits; for example, eligibility for COBRA (Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act) healthcare benefits; Americans with Disabilities Act protection; Age Discrimination in Employment Act coverage; ERISA (Employee Retirement Income Security Act) benefits; coverage by various other labor laws, such as the Family and Medical Leave Act; and the ability to avail oneself of the EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission).

Considerations in the classification of workers: Schramm decision addresses adjunct professors

And today, to avail oneself of a perfectly legal and socially approved procedure like abortion is to take the easy way out.

A new cinematic trend

The only way to avail oneself of his insights is to buy the book.

Never Quit the Fight

Providing and choosing to avail oneself of that surgery makes one complicit in norms that are morally wrong, the critics argue.

The battle for your brain: science is developing ways to boost intelligence, expand memory, and more. But will you be allowed to change your own mind?

To avail oneself of the inmate transfer treaty, the offender must have been sentenced and have completed or waived all appeals and collateral proceedings.

International transfer treaties: an update. (International)

Pace Gary Caldwell, I doubt that many Quebecers want to go back to an earlier era and repudiate the widely shared social ideal that one's ability to avail oneself of the right to education should not depend upon one's standing in the market, or in civil society.

Proulx Report (Daniel Weinstock responds)

Given the difficulty of appraising the game in a more traditional fashion, it may pay to avail oneself of more unconventional assistance.

Expect less of England

Obviously, a long-term relationship with the manufacturer would be necessary to avail oneself of these services for improving the profitability of wholesaling.

Manufacturer and warehouse selection for stable relationship in dynamic wholesaling and location problems

Browning, however, has chosen not to go that route; rather, the only way to avail oneself of the BOSS system is to buy a new Browning A-Bolt or BAR rifle.

We'll be seeing more "harmonic modulator" systems for taming recoil

To avail oneself of the new opportunities, it is fundamental to have the right information and contacts.

Qatar-Italy trade volume up 9% to ,e1/42.3 bn: Envoy

For non-devotees, the yearly frenzy during Traslacion may seem fanatical, or even irrational, but behavioral experts link the phenomenon to many Filipinos' interpretation of suffering like Christ, "of doing something to avail oneself of His mercy."

Devotion to Nazareno means heeding Christ's teachings

4) If one is not qualified to avail oneself of the services of the Public Attorney's Office, the local chapter of the Integrated Bar shall provide the needed legal assistance.