Utility (Noun)
Meaning 1
The service (electric power or water or transportation) provided by a public utility; "the cost of utilities never decreases"; "all the utilities were lost after the hurricane".
Classification
Nouns denoting acts or actions.
Meaning 2
(economics) a measure that is to be maximized in any situation involving choice.
Classification
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure.
Hypernyms
Meaning 3
A facility composed of one or more pieces of equipment connected to or part of a structure and designed to provide a service such as heat or electricity or water or sewage disposal; "the price of the house included all utilities".
Classification
Nouns denoting man-made objects.
Examples
- The rent includes all utilities, such as electricity, water, and gas.
- The utility company will send someone to fix the broken water main.
- The hotel's amenities include a laundry facility and other utility services.
- The old house needed to be renovated to update its utilities, including plumbing and electrical systems.
- The monthly utility bills were high during the winter due to increased heating costs.
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 4
A company that performs a public service; subject to government regulation.
Classification
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects.
Examples
- The electric utility company was required to provide service to all residents in the area, regardless of their ability to pay.
- As a public utility, the water company was subject to strict regulations regarding the quality of the water it provided.
- The gas utility company was fined for failing to meet the government's safety standards.
- The telephone utility company was granted a monopoly in the area in exchange for its agreement to provide universal service.
- The utility commission oversaw the operations of the power company to ensure it was acting in the public interest.
Synonyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 5
(computer science) a program designed for general support of the processes of a computer; "a computer system provides utility programs to perform the tasks needed by most users".
Classification
Nouns denoting communicative processes and contents.
Synonyms
Hypernyms
Hyponyms
Meaning 6
The quality of being of practical use.
Classification
Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects.