a company that performs a public service; subject to government regulation

[ Syn: public utility , public utility company , public-service corporation ]

the quality of being of practical use

[ Syn: usefulness , usefulness ]

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'

(economics) a measure that is to be maximized in any situation involving choice

(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

[ Syn: utility program , service program ]

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'

used of beef; usable but inferior

[ Syn: utility-grade ]

capable of substituting in any of several positions on a team; a utility infielder

[ Syn: substitute ]