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Showing results for "tooling"
  • present participle of tool.
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Synonyms

tooling

American  
[too-ling] / ˈtu lɪŋ /

noun

  1. work done with a tool or tools; tooled ornamentation, as on wood, stone, or leather.

  2. Machinery.

    1. a number of tools, as in a particular factory.

    2. the planning and arrangement of tools for a particular manufacturing process.


tooling British  
/ ˈtuːlɪŋ /

noun

  1. any decorative work done with a tool, esp a design stamped onto a book cover, piece of leatherwork, etc

  2. the selection, provision, and setting up of tools, esp for a machining operation

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of tooling

First recorded in 1665–75; tool + -ing 1

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.

See Examples For:

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

From BBC Jul. 22, 2026

But he warns that if training becomes too narrow, apprentices can end up lacking a proper understanding of materials, methods, tooling, quality and process.

From BBC Jul. 20, 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

He and his 25-person team built extensive internal tooling to see if the Chinese open-source model could handle Lindy’s tasks of managing inboxes and calendars, drafting emails, and transcribing meetings.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 12, 2026

All were lovingly ornamented with Spanish leather in scarlet, and with gold tooling.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

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