tool

[ tool ]

/ tul /

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See synonyms for: tool / tooled / tooling / tools on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

any instrument of manual operation.

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

the machine itself; a machine tool.

anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose: Education is a tool for success.

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

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

Underworld Slang.

a pistol or gun.
a pickpocket.

Slang: Vulgar. penis.

verb (used with object)

to work or shape with a tool.

to work decoratively with a hand tool.

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

to drive (a vehicle): He tooled the car along the treacherous path.

to equip with tools or machinery.

verb (used without object)

to work with a tool.

to drive or ride in a vehicle: tooling along the freeway.

Verb Phrases

tool up, to install machinery designed for performing a particular job: manufacturers tooling up for production.

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Origin of tool

First recorded before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English tōl; cognate with Old Norse tōl “tools”; akin to taw²

OTHER WORDS FROM tool

tooler, nountoolless, adjectivemul·ti·tool, nounun·tooled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tool in a sentence

In the last few years, many new AI tools have been developed and described in medical journals, but their effectiveness has been hard to compare and assess because the quality of trial designs varies.
New standards for AI clinical trials will help spot snake oil and hype|Will Heaven|September 11, 2020|MIT Technology Review
While we’ll have to watch how the legal proceedings pan out, if TikTok is allowed to keep operating, it is slated to become one of the most powerful marketing tools for American brands.
Unpacking the TikTok algorithm: Three reasons why it’s the most addictive social network|Brian Freeman|September 11, 2020|Search Engine Watch
The SUNY-ProPublica analysis uses pollution information from the EPA’s 2014 National Air Toxics Assessment, a screening tool aimed at helping state agencies identify and measure the sources of HAPs.
New Research Shows Disproportionate Rate of Coronavirus Deaths in Polluted Areas|by Lylla Younes, ProPublica, and Sara Sneath|September 11, 2020|ProPublica
To further support the Wikipedia community, we created the WikiLoop program last year that hosts several editor tools focused on content quality.
Google now uses BERT to match stories with fact checks|Barry Schwartz|September 10, 2020|Search Engine Land

Your customer might intuitively realize this, but they didn’t have the tools to be able to study the data.
SEO proposals: Particular challenges and how to avoid getting a silent no|SEOmonitor|September 10, 2020|Search Engine Watch
Young, hip, urban millennials are using tools like Instagram to become one of the fastest growing travel markets.
‘We Out Here’: Inside the New Black Travel Movement|Charlise Ferguson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The United States has tools to impose costs on the North Koreans.
U.S. Should Make North Korea Pay for Sony Hack|Gordon G. Chang|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Elsewhere on the Internet, and often, Turkers butt heads over which tools work best, or what nation they hail from.
Amazon’s Turkers Kick Off the First Crowdsourced Labor Guild|Kevin Zawacki|December 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She began operating out of her home garage in 1980, slowly acquiring the many props and tools that would decorate her dungeon.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix|Justin Jones|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As their name implies, they devised bespoke tools and techniques for breaking into computers.
How the NSA Became a Killing Machine|Shane Harris|November 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The foreman's immense voice, explaining machines and tools, caused physical vibrations in her.
Hilda Lessways|Arnold Bennett
The planter furnishes one buffalo and all the needed tools to care for each little place.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin|Mary Hazelton Wade
The sooner the better, as I cannot set to work to make the tools until we have arranged the plan.
Life of Richard Trevithick, Volume II (of 2)|Francis Trevithick
Among the ancients, the tools which served in the arts were few in number, and these of exceeding simplicity.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler
Next in importance to the aid of vision above noted come the scientific tools which are used in weighing and measuring.
Outlines of the Earth's History|Nathaniel Southgate Shaler

British Dictionary definitions for tool

tool

/ (tuːl) /

noun

an implement, such as a hammer, saw, or spade, that is used by hand
a power-driven instrument; machine tool
(in combination)a toolkit

the cutting part of such an instrument

any of the instruments used by a bookbinder to impress a design on a book cover
a design so impressed

anything used as a means of performing an operation or achieving an endhe used his boss's absence as a tool for gaining influence

a person used to perform dishonourable or unpleasant tasks for another

a necessary medium for or adjunct to one's professionnumbers are the tools of the mathematician's trade

slang another word for penis

British an underworld slang word for gun

verb

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

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

(tr often foll by up) to furnish with tools

(when intr, often foll by along) to drive (a vehicle) or (of a vehicle) to be driven, esp in a leisurely or casual style

Derived forms of tool

tooler, nountool-less, adjective

Word Origin for tool

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

tool

Origin of tool

OTHER WORDS FROM tool

Words related to tool

How to use tool in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for tool

Derived forms of tool

Word Origin for tool