having used

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "having used" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe an action that has already taken place in the past. For example, "Having used a large amount of money, the business was unable to stay afloat."

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Science

Formal & Business

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

60 human-written examples

Only 20 of us, or 4percentt, acknowledged ever having used drugs, including marijuana.

The New York Times

A big problem for them was having used three managers.

The Guardian - Sport

He came back having used his trump card.

The New York Times - Style

He recently acknowledged having used performance-enhancing substances.

The New York Times - Sports

J couldn't recall ever having used that phrase out loud.

The New Yorker

After that, Jones defiantly denied ever having used drugs.

The New York Times - Sports

Elton denied having used his political position for profit.

The New Yorker

There is no mention of him having used a firearm.

The Guardian

Lewis has also denied having used the substance.

The New York Times

She admitted having used "the n word," more than once.

The New York Times

The Grimsley affidavit identifies Sosa as having talked about using amphetamines, Incaviglia as having used amphetamines, Berroa as having used steroids and Watson as having used unidentified performance-enhancing drugs.

The New York Times - Sports

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "having used" to clearly indicate an action completed before another, creating a concise cause-and-effect relationship in your writing.

Common error

Avoid ambiguity by ensuring the subject performing the action described by "having used" is clearly identified and directly related to the main clause. For instance, instead of "Having used the software, the report was generated quickly", write "Having used the software, I generated the report quickly."

Linguistic Context

The phrase "having used" functions as a perfect participle phrase, indicating an action completed before another action. Ludwig provides numerous examples demonstrating this usage, supporting its grammatical correctness.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

67%

Science

20%

Formal & Business

13%

Less common in

Academia

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Reference

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, the phrase "having used" is a grammatically sound and frequently employed construction used to indicate an action completed before another, a conclusion supported by Ludwig AI. As indicated by the examples, this perfect participle phrase predominantly appears in "news and media", "science", and "formal and business" contexts, conveying a neutral tone suitable for diverse writing scenarios. While commonly correct, ensure that the subject remains clear and the relationship between actions is direct to maintain clarity and avoid misplaced modifiers. Using alternatives like "after utilizing" or "following the use of" can enrich your writing, and avoiding ambiguity will result in clear, effective communication.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

after utilizing

Emphasizes the sequence of events, placing the act of utilizing before the subsequent action.

subsequent to employing

More formal and emphasizes the temporal aspect of employing something before another action.

once having employed

Highlights the conditionality based on the prior employment of something.

following the utilization of

Emphasizes the sequence, with utilization preceding the next event.

after the application of

Focuses on the action of applying something before a result or subsequent action.

with the prior use of

Highlights that something was used before, setting the stage for a subsequent action or state.

given the employment of

Suggests that because something was employed, a particular condition or situation exists.

on having exploited

Highlights taking advantage of something previously.

because of having implemented

Focuses on the causal relationship stemming from implementing something earlier.

as a result of having consumed

Specifically implies something was consumed or used up, leading to a consequence.

FAQs

How can I use "having used" in a sentence?

You can use "having used" to indicate that an action was completed before another action took place. For example, "Having used all their substitutes, the hosts were forced to put an outfield player in goal."

What are some alternatives to "having used"?

Alternatives include phrases like "after utilizing", "following the use of", or "once having employed", depending on the specific context and level of formality.

Is it correct to start a sentence with "having used"?

Yes, it is grammatically correct to start a sentence with "having used" as a participial phrase, provided that the subject performing the action is clearly stated in the main clause.

What is the difference between "having used" and "using"?

"Having used" indicates a completed action in the past, whereas "using" describes an ongoing action. For example, "Having used the map, we found our way" implies the map was used and the journey is over, while "Using the map, we are finding our way" indicates we are currently using the map to navigate.