tool 1 of 2

tool

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verb

as in to drive
to travel by a motorized vehicle I spent some time tooling around town today

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word tool different from other nouns like it?

Some common synonyms of tool are appliance, implement, instrument, and utensil. While all these words mean "a relatively simple device for performing work," 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

When is it sensible to use appliance instead of tool?

While the synonyms appliance and tool are close in meaning, appliance refers to a tool or instrument utilizing a power source and suggests portability or temporary attachment.

household appliances

In what contexts can implement take the place of tool?

In some situations, the words implement and tool are roughly equivalent. However, implement may apply to anything necessary to perform a task.

crude stone implements
farm implements

When is instrument a more appropriate choice than tool?

While in some cases nearly identical to tool, instrument suggests a device capable of delicate or precise work.

the dentist's instruments

When could utensil be used to replace tool?

The words utensil and tool can be used in similar contexts, but utensil applies to a device used in domestic work or some routine unskilled activity.

kitchen utensils

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of tool
Noun
But respectful debate has given way to vitriol, amplified by leaders who use division as a political tool. Krutika Kuppalli, Time, 12 Aug. 2025 Ultimately, like so many other applications of AI, Draft One is a tool that relies on responsible, well-meaning users. Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2025
Verb
Staying at the legendary Malaysia Hotel (where Tony Wheeler wrote the first Lonely Planet guidebook), tooling around town in tuk-tuks, sipping tom yum gai at a street stall, and making the obligatory pilgrimage to the Grand Palace to view the Emerald Buddha. Joe Yogerst, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 2025 Below swaying palm trees, people walked small dogs and tooled around on cruiser bikes. Rebecca Plevin, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for tool
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tool
Noun
  • At its inception, the NFL was Operation Team Player’s primary league partner, says Bill Hardy, IPR Center’s national program manager for Operation Team Player and Operation Surge Protector, which protects consumers from counterfeit computers and other electronic devices.
    Margaret Buranen, USA Today, 20 Aug. 2025
  • ExpressVPN only takes around five minutes to set up and also promises lightning-quick connectivity and 24-hour live-chat support, and allows users to connect to any device, from computers to phones to tablets.
    Jason Pham, StyleCaster, 19 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Unfortunately, all these mind games and chess moves mean pawns are caught in the middle.
    Rafael Motamayor, Vulture, 9 Aug. 2025
  • Ellen is a smart, strategic thinker frustrated by her brothers’ desire to use her as a pawn in clan politics.
    Kimberly Roots, TVLine, 9 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Be prepared for the inevitable by having these throat-soothing suckers in stock.
    Alex Apatoff, People.com, 6 Aug. 2025
  • Muscles contract to reduce water pressure inside the sucker.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 28 June 2025
Verb
  • CTOs now sit at the strategic heart of organizations, driving revenue growth, operational efficiency and competitive advantage.
    Mary Elizabeth Bradford, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2025
  • Some round-trip flights to San Francisco, Salt Lake City and Denver are priced lower than the cost of driving to get there.
    Michael Salerno, AZCentral.com, 18 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • An automatic analysis system was used on a large body of materials-engineering research and related sciences to identify authors who incorrectly reported the instruments used in their studies, a potential giveaway of a piece of research being fraudulent.
    Fernanda González, Wired News, 11 Aug. 2025
  • DeMarco played every instrument; produced, engineered, and mixed the songs; shot the album cover and music videos using a tripod; and is releasing it on his own label.
    Amanda Petrusich, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • While the United Nations references attacks, its reporting has not detailed deaths or specified the targets.
    Danielle Wallace, FOXNews.com, 7 Aug. 2025
  • The decision sparked a firestorm on social media — where much of the debate around these issues is taking place — and Jackson-Smith was the target of abusive and threatening comments from both pro-Israel and pro-Palestine supporters.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 7 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Global Upstart Since revving up its international expansion in 2010, Triveni Turbine has motored its way to the No. 2 spot in the market for its products, trailing only megabrand Siemens Energy.
    Anu Raghunathan, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2025
  • Anyone who wants to motor up on a boat or jetski, dock and enjoy a waterfront meal.
    Constance Ogle, Miami Herald, 1 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • This complex legal mechanism—which allows the EU to respond to coercion through a broad set of tools, including limiting market access, foreign direct investment, and public procurement—is supposed to allow Brussels to retaliate against allies and adversaries.
    HENRY FARRELL, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
  • TIDs are mechanisms that allow a municipality to invest in a specific area by using the future growth in that area's property taxes to finance those improvements.
    Liliana Fannin, jsonline.com, 18 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Tool.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tool. Accessed 23 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on tool

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