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tool

[tool]
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noun
  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)
  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.
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verb (used without object)
  1. to work with a tool.
  2. to drive or ride in a vehicle: tooling along the freeway.
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Verb Phrases
  1. tool up, to install machinery designed for performing a particular job: manufacturers tooling up for production.
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Origin of tool

before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English tōl; cognate with Old Norse tōl tools; akin to taw2
Related formstool·er, nountool·less, adjectivemul·ti·tool, nounun·tooled, adjective

Synonyms

See more synonyms for tool on Thesaurus.com
1. T ool , implement , instrument , utensil refer to contrivances for doing work. A tool is a contrivance held in and worked by the hand, for assisting the work of (especially) mechanics or laborers: a carpenter's tools. An implement is any tool or contrivance designed or used for a particular purpose: agricultural implements. An instrument is anything used in doing a certain work or producing a certain result, especially such as requires delicacy, accuracy, or precision: surgical or musical instruments. A utensil is especially an article for domestic use: kitchen utensils. When used figuratively of human agency, tool is generally used in a contemptuous sense; instrument , in a neutral or good sense: a tool of unscrupulous men; an instrument of Providence.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

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British Dictionary definitions for tools

tool

noun
    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
    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 endhe 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 professionnumbers are the tools of the mathematician's trade
  7. slang another word for penis
  8. British 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. (tr often foll by up) to furnish with tools
  4. (when intr, often foll by along) to drive (a vehicle) or (of a vehicle) to be driven, esp in a leisurely or casual style
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Derived Formstooler, nountool-less, adjective

Word Origin

Old English tōl; related to Old Norse tōl weapon, Old English tawian to prepare; see taw ²
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

Word Origin and History for tools

tool

n.

Old English tol "instrument, implement," from Proto-Germanic *tolan (cf. Old Norse tol), from a verb stem represented by Old English tawian "prepare." The ending is the instrumental suffix -l (e.g. shovel). Figurative sense of "person used by another for his own ends" is recorded from 1660s. Slang meaning "penis" first recorded 1550s.

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tool

v.

"to drive a vehicle," 1812, probably from tool (n.). The meaning "to work or shape with a tool" is recorded from 1815; that of "equip (a factory) with machine tools" is from 1927. Related: Tooled; tooling.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper