can vs use

can

verb
  • Used with verbs of perception. 

  • To have the potential to; be possible. 

  • To cover (the fuel element in a nuclear reactor) with a protective cover. 

  • May; to be permitted or enabled to. 

  • To discard, scrap or terminate (an idea, project, etc.). 

  • To fire or dismiss an employee. 

  • To shut up. 

  • To know how to; to be able to. 

  • To seal in a can. 

  • To hole the ball. 

  • To preserve by heating and sealing in a jar or can. 

  • The boss canned him for speaking out. 

noun
  • An ounce (or sometimes, two ounces) of marijuana. 

  • A protective cover for the fuel element in a nuclear reactor. 

  • Jail or prison. 

  • A more or less cylindrical vessel for liquids, usually of steel or aluminium, but sometimes of plastic, and with a carrying handle over the top. 

  • A container used to carry and dispense water for plants (a watering can). 

  • Buttocks. 

  • Headphones. 

  • A cube-shaped buoy or marker used to denote a port-side lateral mark 

  • A chimney pot. 

  • A tin-plate canister, often cylindrical, for preserved foods such as fruit, meat, or fish. 

  • An E-meter used in Scientology auditing. 

use

verb
  • To accustom; to habituate. (Now common only in participial form. Uses the same pronunciation as the noun; see usage notes.) 

  • To habitually do; to be wont to do. (Now chiefly in past-tense forms; see used to.) 

  • To benefit from; to be able to employ or stand. 

  • To consume (alcohol, drugs, etc), especially regularly. 

  • To expend; to consume by employing. 

  • To employ; to apply; to utilize. 

  • To exploit. 

  • To consume a previously specified substance, especially a drug to which one is addicted. 

  • To suggest or request that other people employ a specific set of gender pronouns when referring to the subject. 

noun
  • A function; a purpose for which something may be employed. 

  • Occasion or need to employ; necessity. 

  • Usefulness, benefit. 

  • The act of using. 

  • A special form of a rite adopted for use in a particular context, often a diocese. 

  • A slab of iron welded to the side of a forging, such as a shaft, near the end, and afterward drawn down, by hammering, so as to lengthen the forging. 

  • The act of consuming alcohol or narcotics. 

How often have the words can and use occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )