tool

American  

[tool] / tul /

noun

• tools
  plural

1. an implement, especially one held in the hand, as a hammer, saw, or file, for performing or facilitating mechanical operations.

2. any instrument of manual operation.

3. the cutting or machining part of a lathe, planer, drill, or similar machine.

4. the machine itself; a machine tool.

5. anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose.

   Education is a tool for success.

6. a person manipulated by another for the latter's own ends; cat's-paw.

7. the design or ornament impressed upon the cover of a book.

8. Underworld Slang.

   1. a pistol or gun.

   2. a pickpocket.

9. Slang: Vulgar. penis.

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verb (used with object)

• tools,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tooled,
  past participle,  past
• tooling
  present participle

1. to work or shape with a tool.

2. to work decoratively with a hand tool.

3. to ornament (the cover of a book) with a bookbinder's tool.

4. to drive (a vehicle).

   He tooled the car along the treacherous path.

5. to equip with tools or machinery.

verb (used without object)

• tools,
  present (3rd person singular)
• tooled,
  past participle,  past
• tooling
  present participle

1. to work with a tool.

2. to drive or ride in a vehicle.

   tooling along the freeway.

verb phrase

1. tool up to install machinery designed for performing a particular job.

   manufacturers tooling up for production.

tool British  

/ tuːl /

noun

1. 1. an implement, such as a hammer, saw, or spade, that is used by hand

   2. a power-driven instrument; machine tool

   3. ( in combination )

      a toolkit

2. the cutting part of such an instrument

3. 1. any of the instruments used by a bookbinder to impress a design on a book cover

   2. a design so impressed

4. anything used as a means of performing an operation or achieving an end

   he used his boss's absence as a tool for gaining influence

5. a person used to perform dishonourable or unpleasant tasks for another

6. a necessary medium for or adjunct to one's profession

   numbers are the tools of the mathematician's trade

7. slang another word for penis

8. an underworld slang word for gun

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verb

1. to work, cut, shape, or form (something) with a tool or tools

2. (tr) to decorate (a book cover) with a bookbinder's tool

3. to furnish with tools

4. to drive (a vehicle) or (of a vehicle) to be driven, esp in a leisurely or casual style

Usage

What are other ways to say tool? The word tool usually refers to a handheld object, such as a hammer, saw, or file, that is used to perform or facilitate mechanical operations. When should you use this noun over instrument, implement, or utensil? Learn more on Thesaurus.com. 

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• multitool
  noun
• tooler
  noun
• tool-less
  adjective
• toolless
  adjective
• untooled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• tools
  plural

Participles

• tooling
  present
• tooled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• tool
  simple
• tools
  simple
• have tooled
  perfect
• has tooled
  perfect
• am tooling
  progressive
• are tooling
  progressive
• is tooling
  progressive
• have been tooling
  perfect progressive
• has been tooling
  perfect progressive

Past

• tooled
  simple
• had tooled
  perfect
• was tooling
  progressive
• were tooling
  progressive
• had been tooling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will tool
  simple
• will have tooled
  perfect
• will be tooling
  progressive
• will have been tooling
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of tool

First recorded before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English tōl; cognate with Old Norse tōl “tools”; akin to taw ²

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Explanation

A tool is an instrument that you use to help you accomplish some task. If you are going to build a bookcase, you'll need the proper tools, like a saw, a drill, and a tape measure. A tool is also something that you use to perform the duties of a certain profession. The tools of a kindergarten teacher's trade include construction paper, glue sticks, and safety scissors. As a verb, tool can mean to drive aimlessly just for fun, the way you might tool around town in your convertible on a beautiful summer day.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tool tools tooled tooling

Virginia is pioneering the use of speed-limiters as an enforcement tool.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

CNN is also offering its digital users more advanced voting analysis though a new tool called Sightline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026

The United States on Saturday urged against using food trade as a tool for "economic or political coercion," while acknowledging the difficulty of reaching a G20 consensus as foreign ministers wrapped talks.

From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2026

At least 26,164 tool thefts were recorded in 2025, based on responses from 30 police forces who shared data.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

She unsnapped a pocket on her tool belt and pulled out the small journal.

From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown

China’s central bank is bolstering stock-buying tools as a market slump threatens financing for technology companies.

From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026

As retailers gather more information about their customers and acquire increasingly sophisticated pricing tools, shoppers risk knowing less about why they’re paying what they’re paying.

From Salon ● Nov. 2, 2026

The chief market strategist and his team, who provide market tools and research for institutional and retail investors, have made some prescient market calls since the firm’s 2015 start.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

Some of them are dodging rodents and pawning power tools just to stay afloat.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

We go to work wiping down the boxes of detergent, the plastic-wrapped toilet paper, the popcorn, the tools, rakes, and trowels.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

Even if Congress voted the funds tomorrow for 10,000 new interceptors, the metal and the gas would still have to be found, the workforce trained, and the production lines tooled.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

He tooled around cheerfully in a used car given to him by an old friend.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2025

Ukraine's factories have tooled up to make equipment to help keep the sappers safer.

From Reuters ● Aug. 3, 2023

The bank's agriculture relationship managers were being tooled up with advice on how to reduce emissions down on the farm, she said.

From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2023

She pressed into my hand a Book of Hours with a tooled leather cover and gilded pages.

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Teng also describes how the hackers used "a self-destruct mechanism that destroyed tooling and traces as they went, making it more difficult for us to trace and investigate".

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026

The biopharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers Squibb chose Anthropic’s Claude as its “standard harness” to avoid rebuilding basic infrastructure tooling, according to Greg Meyers, its chief digital and technology officer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026

Yet the only reason he’s out here racking up steps by the hundreds on a recent morning is because he was tooling around in his sculpture studio before I arrived.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 2, 2026

Beyond the model, Scaled Cognition has also built a platform for enterprise AI deployment that includes agentic tooling, live agent monitoring and simulation and evaluation frameworks, the company said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

It was November 1982, and I was tooling down Virginia State Route 460 in my green 1972 Volkswagen at four A.M.

From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride

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