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

Etymology

Origin of tool

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

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

A member of our team worked with a cross-functional partner on building a contract review tool that makes sure customer order forms exactly match with Salesforce.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Hackers using a Chinese AI tool attacked South Korea’s biggest banks and stole the personal information of 68,000 people, showcasing the danger AI agent incursions could pose to the global financial system.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

Deepfakes are a dangerous tool, because they can deceive, manipulate, and strike anyone.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Fellow pupil Aydin said the technology should be used as a tool to aid understanding rather than provide easy answers.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

Powell was armed only with a pickax, but his incredible strength could turn that tool into a formidable weapon.

From "Chasing Lincoln's Killer" by James L. Swanson

The EU has other tools to regulate AI.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

Neoclouds have been red-hot over the past year, as more corporations adopt enterprise AI tools.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026

According to The Washington Post, external, he was senior executive in the agency's Directorate of Science and Technology, which develops high-tech spy tools.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Kalshi says it offers various risk-management tools and places accountability limits on markets in line with federal regulations.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

Another boat owner arrived in a canoe, with tools our master needed to hire.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

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

Period satirical adventure comedies with thieves as heroes, tooled with a British or Australian sense of humor.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 3, 2024

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

From Reuters ● Aug. 3, 2023

Rowe started back up in July 2020 with a four-episode run of “Dirty Jobs: Rowe’d Trip,” in which he tooled around the country in an RV, and the main show returned in January 2022.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 12, 2022

A long leather scabbard is expertly tooled with the initials R. F.: the sheath for the machete Ronald Franz gave McCandless when he left Salton City.

From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer

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

"Autonomous, AI-driven offensive tooling is no longer theoretical," it said.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 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

Enterprise products are currently more likely to opt in to other models with clear controls, compliance tooling, auditability, data-governance guarantees and workflow integrations.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026

A car's odometer comes from the factory set at 00000, though by the time the dealer’s done tooling around town, it’s probably got a few more miles on it.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Related Words

• apparatus
• appliance
• device
• engine
• gadget
• gizmo
• machine
• means
• mechanism
• utensil
• weapon