avail

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. v. To be of use or advantage to; help: Nothing could avail the dying patient.
2. v. To be of use, value, or advantage; serve: Halfway measures will no longer avail.
3. n. Use, benefit, or advantage: labored to no avail.
4. idiom. avail (oneself) of To make use of.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. To have value or use; be of service or advantage; give profit: as, wealth avails little to a castaway.
2. To have force or efficacy; serve for a purpose; give aid toward an end: as, his cries availed to bring relief.
3. To take or draw advantage; make use or profit.
4. To be for the advantage of; assist or profit: as, what will skill avail us against numbers?
5. To promote; prosper; assist: said of things.
6. To advantage; profit; give the benefit to: used reflexively, with of: as, he availed himself of the opportunity.
7. n. Advantage, profit, or benefit, in a general sense; also, value or estimation.
8. n. Efficacy for a purpose; advantage to an object or end: now used chiefly in negative phrases, or sentences of negative import: as, of little or no avail; I doubt whether it will be of much avail.
9. n. plural Profits or proceeds: as, the avails of a sale by auction.
10. n. Returns.
11. See avale.

Wiktionary

1. v. To turn to the advantage of
2. v. To be of service to.
3. v. To promote; to assist.
4. v. To be of use or advantage; to answer or serve the purpose; to have strength, force, or efficacy sufficient to accomplish the object.
5. v. To provide.
6. n. Benefit; value, profit; advantage toward success. [15th-19th c.]
7. n. Effect in achieving a goal or aim; purpose, use (now usually in negative constructions). [from 15th c.]
8. n. Proceeds; profits from business transactions. [from 15th c.]
9. n. Effort; striving.
10. n. An advertising slot or package.
11. n. A press avail.
12. n. Non-binding notice of availability for work.
13. n. A readily available stock of oil.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. v. To turn to the advantage of; to be of service to; to profit; to benefit; to help.
2. v. To promote; to assist.
3. v. To be of use or advantage; to answer the purpose; to have strength, force, or efficacy sufficient to accomplish the object
4. n. Profit; advantage toward success; benefit; value.
5. n. Proceeds.
6. v. See avale, v.

WordNet 3.0

1. v. take or use
2. v. be of use to, be useful to
3. n. a means of serving
4. v. use to one's advantage