tool
Americannoun
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an implement, especially one held in the hand, as a hammer, saw, or file, for performing or facilitating mechanical operations.
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any instrument of manual operation.
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the cutting or machining part of a lathe, planer, drill, or similar machine.
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the machine itself; a machine tool.
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anything used as a means of accomplishing a task or purpose.
Education is a tool for success.
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a person manipulated by another for the latter's own ends; cat's-paw.
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the design or ornament impressed upon the cover of a book.
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Underworld Slang.
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a pistol or gun.
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a pickpocket.
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Slang: Vulgar. penis.
verb (used with object)
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to work or shape with a tool.
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to work decoratively with a hand tool.
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to ornament (the cover of a book) with a bookbinder's tool.
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to drive (a vehicle).
He tooled the car along the treacherous path.
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to equip with tools or machinery.
verb (used without object)
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to work with a tool.
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to drive or ride in a vehicle.
tooling along the freeway.
verb phrase
noun
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an implement, such as a hammer, saw, or spade, that is used by hand
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a power-driven instrument; machine tool
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( in combination )
a toolkit
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the cutting part of such an instrument
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any of the instruments used by a bookbinder to impress a design on a book cover
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a design so impressed
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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
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a person used to perform dishonourable or unpleasant tasks for another
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a necessary medium for or adjunct to one's profession
numbers are the tools of the mathematician's trade
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slang another word for penis
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an underworld slang word for gun
verb
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to work, cut, shape, or form (something) with a tool or tools
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(tr) to decorate (a book cover) with a bookbinder's tool
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to furnish with tools
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to drive (a vehicle) or (of a vehicle) to be driven, esp in a leisurely or casual style
Usage
What are other ways to say tool? The word tool usually refers to a handheld object, such as a hammer, saw, or file, that is used to perform or facilitate mechanical operations. When should you use this noun over instrument, implement, or utensil? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.
Other Word Forms
- multitool noun
- tool-less adjective
- tooler noun
- toolless adjective
- untooled adjective
Etymology
Origin of tool
First recorded before 900; Middle English (noun); Old English tōl; cognate with Old Norse tōl “tools”; akin to taw 2
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.
But the tool's dominance as the first choice for creators could lead to excessive "standardisation" of 3D content, ICAN's Roy warned.
From Barron's
Investors have begun adjusting and have pared back expectations for rate cuts beginning in June, according to the CME FedWatch tool.
From Barron's
Their research combines caffeine with CRISPR, a powerful gene editing tool known as clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, to explore new ways to treat chronic diseases such as cancer and diabetes.
From Science Daily
The Fed’s interest-rate tool kit works more on the demand side of the economy, by either spurring companies and consumers to spend or nudging them to pull back.
From MarketWatch
However, in an existential struggle, it has signaled it is willing to use every tool in its arsenal.
From Barron's
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.
