tool

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈtül 

1

a

: a handheld device that aids in accomplishing a task

b(1)

: the cutting or shaping part in a machine or machine tool

(2)

: a machine for shaping metal : machine tool

2

a

: something (such as an instrument or apparatus) used in performing an operation or necessary in the practice of a vocation or profession

a scholar's books are his tools

b

: an element of a computer program (such as a graphics application) that activates and controls a particular function

a drawing tool

c

: a means to an end

a book's cover can be a marketing tool

d

slang, vulgar : penis

3

a

: one who is used or manipulated by another

And then there was former trainer Pfeil, viewed as another tool of management for his gruff ways.

—Sam Smith

b

informal : a foolish or unlikable person : jerk

Before you compete on a reality TV show, you basically sign away your right to protect yourself from looking like a total tool in front of an international viewing audience.

—Steve Tilley

4

tools plural : natural ability

has all the tools to be a great pitcher

tool

2 of 3

verb

tooled; tooling; tools

intransitive verb

1

: drive, ride

2

: to equip a plant or industry with the means (such as machines, machine tools, and instruments) of production

—often used with up

transitive verb

1

: to shape, form, or finish with a tool

especially : to letter or ornament (something, such as leather or gold) by means of hand tools

2

a

: to cause (a vehicle) to go : drive

b

: to convey in a vehicle

3

: to equip (a factory, an industry, etc.) with tools, machines, and instruments for production

tool

3 of 3

noun (2)

: a design (as on the binding of a book) made by tooling

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• device
• implement
• instrument
• utensil

Verb

• automobile
• drive
• motor

Choose the Right Synonym for tool

implement, tool, instrument, appliance, utensil mean a relatively simple device for performing work.

implement may apply to anything necessary to perform a task.

crude stone implements

farm implements

tool suggests an implement adapted to facilitate a definite kind or stage of work and suggests the need of skill more strongly than implement.

a carpenter's tools

instrument suggests a device capable of delicate or precise work.

the dentist's instruments

appliance refers to a tool or instrument utilizing a power source and suggests portability or temporary attachment.

household appliances

utensil applies to a device used in domestic work or some routine unskilled activity.

kitchen utensils

Examples of tool in a Sentence

Noun (1)

needed a special tool to open the case of the appliance

a ruthless leader using his trusting followers as tools in his quest for power

you're just a pathetic tool of the advertising industry if you believe everything you see in TV commercials

Verb

We tooled along the highway.

He tooled a design on the leather belt.

a belt made of tooled leather

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Some are kid-friendly, all are pet-friendly, and many offer bikes for guests to tool around town. —Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 11 Apr. 2024

That Communist-era drama concerned a female taxi driver who’s similarly tooling around Bucharest, her misery equal to that of Manolache’s contemporary Angela, even though Jude’s protagonist seemingly lives in a freer society than the one once ruled by Nicolae Ceaușescu. —Tim Grierson, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024

Sculptor Jean Jinho Kim (the only local in the lineup) and painter Don Voisine offer pieces that are tooled with machine-like precision. —Mark Jenkins, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024

As far back as 200 million years ago, the fossil record shows us that hermit crabs were already tooling around shopping for homes discarded by mollusks. —Popsci Staff, Popular Science, 28 Feb. 2024

Along the way, stop at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park to check out a pop-up event or let the kids run on the playground, pop into the Tampa Museum of Art for the latest exhibition, or rent a paddleboard from Urban Kai to tool around the Hillsborough River. —Terry Ward, Travel + Leisure, 25 Feb. 2024

Robert Randolph was tooling around Florida when the call came. —David Browne, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2024

While in his mid-twenties, Olea would tool around the Key — or take a jaunt to Coconut Grove — with a carload of teenage girls. —Clara-Sophia Daly, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2024

Most Tool songs do sound tooled—that is, painstakingly built, rather than written. —Kelefa Sanneh, The New Yorker, 17 Jan. 2024

Noun

The powerful forensic tool had not existed when the girls were attacked in 1975. —Marisa Kwiatkowski, USA TODAY, 14 May 2024

However, the Gobi’s increasingly problematic winters have inadvertently served as a propaganda tool. —TIME, 14 May 2024

Essentially, could a tool capable of supercharging productivity by automating scores of routine tasks put millions of people out of a job? —Paolo Confino, Fortune, 14 May 2024

Lawnmowers, grills and power tools were up for grabs for up to 80% off. —Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 13 May 2024

The pier’s closure has also hindered the Good Neighbor Project’s efforts to teach local youth how to fish, using the activity both as a training tool for real-life skills and as a form of therapy. —Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2024

Women can also calculate their breast cancer risk using the same National Cancer Institute tool Munn used. —Eva Hartman, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2024

The rust-resistant construction ensures these tools’ longevity. —Grace Smith, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 May 2024

That allowed the team behind the Nature paper to design new tools for sequencing nuclear genes from a huge variety of flowering plants, said William Baker, who leads the Kew Gardens Tree of Life Initiative and is an author of the new paper. —Veronique Greenwood, New York Times, 11 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English tōl; akin to Old English tawian to prepare for use — more at taw

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1812, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2a

Noun (2)

1881, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing tool

• edge tool
• flake tool
• hand tool
• machine tool
• multi-tool
• tool kit
• tool subject
• tool up

Kids Definition

tool

1 of 2 noun

ˈtül 

1

: a device (as a hammer, saw, knife, or wrench) used or worked by hand or by a machine

2

a

: something used in doing one's job as if it were a tool

a scholar's books are his tools

b

: something that helps to gain an end

hard work is a tool for success

3

: a person used by another : dupe

tool

2 of 2 verb

1

: to shape, form, or finish with a tool

2

: to equip a plant or industry with machines and tools for production