- present participle of tool.
noun
-
any decorative work done with a tool, esp a design stamped onto a book cover, piece of leatherwork, etc
-
the selection, provision, and setting up of tools, esp for a machining operation
Etymology
Origin of tooling
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Earlier in the month Mr. Rogers released a video of himself tooling around Michigan in a cherry-red vintage Ford pickup truck.
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
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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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.