tool
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.
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.
to work with a tool.
to drive or ride in a vehicle: tooling along the freeway.
tool up, to install machinery designed for performing a particular job: manufacturers tooling up for production.
Origin of tool
1Other words from tool
- tooler, noun
- toolless, adjective
- mul·ti·tool, noun
- un·tooled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
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 ReviewWhile 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 WatchThe 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 | ProPublicaTo 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 LandYour 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 | THE DAILY BEASTThe 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 | THE DAILY BEASTElsewhere 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 | THE DAILY BEASTShe began operating out of her home garage in 1980, slowly acquiring the many props and tools that would decorate her dungeon.
As their name implies, they devised bespoke tools and techniques for breaking into computers.
The foreman's immense voice, explaining machines and tools, caused physical vibrations in her.
Hilda Lessways | Arnold BennettThe planter furnishes one buffalo and all the needed tools to care for each little place.
Alila, Our Little Philippine Cousin | Mary Hazelton WadeThe 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 TrevithickAmong 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 ShalerNext 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
/ (tuːl) /
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 end: he 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 profession: numbers are the tools of the mathematician's trade
slang another word for penis
British an underworld slang word for gun
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
Origin of tool
1Derived forms of tool
- tooler, noun
- tool-less, adjective
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
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