The verb to avail has two basic meanings: 1.) "To avail oneself of something" means making good use of something, or taking advantage of an opportunity. 2.) "To avail" can also mean "to help" or "to be useful" (mostly used in negative sentences).

The verb to avail in English has two basic meanings:

1. To avail oneself of something means making good use of something, or taking advantage of an opportunity.
2. To avail can also mean "to help" or "to be useful" (mostly used in negative sentences).

'To Avail oneself Of something' (Examples)

• She availed herself of the opportunity to visit London.
• He availed himself of the numerous information sources and services available.
• They offered me a better job, so I availed myself of the opportunity.
• I stayed in one of the best hotels in Bangkok and availed myself of all the facilities that were available.
• You should avail yourself of every opportunity you get to practice Spanish.
• Our companies have availed themselves of the tax benefits provided by the income tax legislation.
• Then, she availed herself of the opportunity to thank all her customers and visitors for their presence.
• If you are a Swedish citizen, you can avail yourself of social assistance and financial support to cover some fixed expenses.

'To help' or 'To be useful' (Examples)

• He tried to quit smoking, but his efforts did not avail.
• The tennis player lost the match. All his efforts availed him nothing.
• Nothing could avail the physical pain and social exclusion.
• Working hard all day long availed him nothing.
• I tried different techniques to mitigate stress, but nothing could avail.
• Partial measures will not avail the agricultural sector.
• They did not know how our community can help and what they could be availed of.

The Expression 'To no avail'

The noun "avail" means benefit, advantage, help, gain. The expressions to no avail and of no avail mean that you do not succeed in achieving your objective. For example, you can say:

• I tried to learn Portuguese by reading a grammar book to no avail.
• My efforts to convince him were of no avail.

You can find more examples and learn more about the meaning of to no avail and of no avail on our post To no avail Meaning and Examples.