tool

tool  (tl)

n.

1. A device, such as a saw, used to perform or facilitate manual or mechanical work.

2.

a. A machine, such as a lathe, used to cut and shape machine parts or other objects.

b. The cutting part of such a machine.

3. Something regarded as necessary to the carrying out of one's occupation or profession: Words are the tools of our trade.

4. Something used in the performance of an operation; an instrument: "Modern democracies have the fiscal and monetary tools . . . to end chronic slumps and galloping inflations" (Paul A. Samuelson).

5. Vulgar Slang A penis.

6. A person used to carry out the designs of another; a dupe.

7.

a. A bookbinder's hand stamp.

b. A design impressed on a book cover by such a stamp.

8. Computer Science An application program, often one that creates, manipulates, modifies, or analyzes other programs.

v. tooled, tool·ing, tools

v.tr.

1. To form, work, or decorate with a tool.

2. To ornament (a book cover) with a bookbinder's tool.

3. Slang To drive (a vehicle): tooled the car at 80 miles an hour.

v.intr.

1. To work with a tool.

2. Slang To drive or ride in a vehicle: tooled up and down the roads.

Phrasal Verb:

tool up

To provide an industry or a factory with machinery and tools suitable for a particular job.

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[Middle English, from Old English tl, possibly from Old Norse.]

Synonyms: tool, instrument, implement, utensil, appliance
These nouns refer to devices used in the performance of work. Tool applies broadly to a device that facilitates work; specifically it denotes a small manually operated device: a box full of tools for bike repair.
Instrument refers especially to a relatively small precision tool used by trained professionals: sterilized the scalpel and the other instruments.
Implement is the preferred term for tools used in agriculture and certain building trades: rakes, hoes, and other implements.
Utensil often refers to an implement used in a household, especially in the kitchen: cooking utensils hung by the stove.
Appliance most frequently denotes a power-driven device that performs a specific function: a store selling toasters and other appliances.

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tool [tuːl]

n

1. (Engineering / Tools)

a.  an implement, such as a hammer, saw, or spade, that is used by hand

b.  a power-driven instrument; machine tool

c.  (in combination) a toolkit

2. (Engineering / Tools) the cutting part of such an instrument

3. (Engineering / Tools)

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

b.  a design so impressed

4. (Engineering / Tools) 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

5. a person used to perform dishonourable or unpleasant tasks for another

6. a necessary medium for or adjunct to one's profession numbers are the tools of the mathematician's trade

7. (Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Anatomy) Slang another word for penis

8. (Military / Firearms, Gunnery, Ordnance & Artillery) Brit an underworld slang word for gun

vb

1. (Engineering / Tools) to work, cut, shape, or form (something) with a tool or tools

2. (Communication Arts / Printing, Lithography & Bookbinding) (tr) to decorate (a book cover) with a bookbinder's tool

3. (tr; often foll by up) to furnish with tools

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

[Old English tōl; related to Old Norse tōl weapon, Old English tawian to prepare; see taw²]

tooler  n

tool-less  adj

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	tool - an implement used in the practice of a vocation abrader, abradant - a tool or machine used for wearing down or smoothing or polishing bender - a tool for bending; "he used pliers as a bender" clincher - a tool used to clinch nails or bolts or rivets comb - any of several tools for straightening fibers cutting implement - a tool used for cutting or slicing drill - a tool with a sharp point and cutting edges for making holes in hard materials (usually rotating rapidly or by repeated blows) eolith - a crude stone artifact (as a chipped flint); possibly the earliest tools fork - an agricultural tool used for lifting or digging; has a handle and metal prongs gang - tool consisting of a combination of implements arranged to work together garden tool, lawn tool - used for working in gardens or yards grapnel, grapple, grappling hook, grappling iron, grappler - a tool consisting of several hooks for grasping and holding; often thrown with a rope hack - a tool (as a hoe or pick or mattock) used for breaking up the surface of the soil hand tool - a tool used with workers' hands hoe - a tool with a flat blade attached at right angles to a long handle implement - instrumentation (a piece of equipment or tool) used to effect an end jack - tool for exerting pressure or lifting Jaws of Life - hydraulic tool inserted into a wrecked vehicle and used to pry the wreckage apart in order to provide access to people trapped inside neolith - a stone tool from the Neolithic Age paleolith - a stone tool from the Paleolithic age pestle, pounder, muller - a heavy tool of stone or iron (usually with a flat base and a handle) that is used to grind and mix material (as grain or drugs or pigments) against a slab of stone plow, plough - a farm tool having one or more heavy blades to break the soil and cut a furrow prior to sowing power tool - a tool driven by a motor punch, puncher - a tool for making holes or indentations rake - a long-handled tool with a row of teeth at its head; used to move leaves or loosen soil ram - a tool for driving or forcing something by impact rounder - a tool for rounding corners or edges saw set - a tool used to bend each alternate sawtooth at a slight angle outward shaping tool - a tool for shaping metal strickle - a tool used in a foundry to shape a mold in sand stylus, style - a pointed tool for writing or drawing or engraving; "he drew the design on the stencil with a steel stylus" tamp, tamper, tamping bar - a tool for tamping (e.g., for tamping tobacco into a pipe bowl or a charge into a drill hole etc.) tap - a tool for cutting female (internal) screw threads swage, upset - a tool used to thicken or spread metal (the end of a bar or a rivet etc.) by forging or hammering or swaging
	2.	tool - the means whereby some act is accomplished; "my greed was the instrument of my destruction"; "science has given us new tools to fight disease" instrument means, way, agency - how a result is obtained or an end is achieved; "a means of control"; "an example is the best agency of instruction"; "the true way to success"
	3.	tool - a person who is controlled by others and is used to perform unpleasant or dishonest tasks for someone else puppet, creature slave - a person who is owned by someone
	4.	tool - obscene terms for penis               cock, pecker, peter, dick, putz, prick, shaft penis, phallus, member - the male organ of copulation (`member' is a euphemism) dirty word, vulgarism, obscenity, smut, filth - an offensive or indecent word or phrase
Verb	1.	tool - drive; "The convertible tooled down the street" drive - operate or control a vehicle; "drive a car or bus"; "Can you drive this four-wheel truck?" joyride, tool around, tool - ride in a car with no particular goal and just for the pleasure of it; "We tooled down the street"
	2.	tool - ride in a car with no particular goal and just for the pleasure of it; "We tooled down the street" joyride, tool around driving - the act of controlling and steering the movement of a vehicle or animal ride - be carried or travel on or in a vehicle; "I ride to work in a bus"; "He rides the subway downtown every day" tool - drive; "The convertible tooled down the street"
	3.	tool - furnish with tools                   furnish, provide, supply, render - give something useful or necessary to; "We provided the room with an electrical heater"
	4.	tool - work with a tool                     work on, work, process - shape, form, or improve a material; "work stone into tools"; "process iron"; "work the metal"

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tool

noun

1. implement, device, appliance, apparatus, machine, instrument, gadget, utensil, contraption, contrivance The best tool for the purpose is a pair of shears.

2. means, agency, vehicle, medium, agent, intermediary, wherewithal The video has become an invaluable teaching tool.

3. puppet, creature, pawn, dupe, stooge (slang), jackal, minion, lackey, flunkey, hireling, cat's-paw He became the tool of the security services.

verb

make, work, cut, shape, chase, decorate, ornament We have a beautifully tooled glass replica of it.

Tools

Allen key, alligator, auger, awl, axe, ball-peen hammer, beetle, billhook, bit, bitstock, bodkin, bolster, borer, bosh, brace and bit, broach, broad, burin, bushhammer, centre punch, chaser, chisel, claw hammer, clink, clippers, cold chisel, comb, comber, countersink, cradle, croze, diamond point, dibble, drawknife or drawshave, dresser, drift or driftpin, drill, drill press, drove or drove chisel, edge tool, eyeleteer, facer, file, fillet, firmer chisel, flange, flatter, float, floatcut file, fork, former, fraise, froe or frow, fuller, gab, gad, gavel, gimlet, gouger, graver, gympie (Austral.), hack, hack hammer, half-round chisel, hammer, hammer drill, hob, hoe, hone, icebreaker, ice pick, jackhammer, jointer, jumper, kevel, knapping hammer, mallet, mattock, maul, mitre square, monkey wrench, nibbler, nippers, padsaw, percussion tool, pestle, pick, piledriver, pitching tool, plane, pliers, ploughstaff, pneumatic hammer, power drill, pruning hook, punch, rabble or rabbler, rake, rawhide hammer, ripple, rocker, rounder, router, sander, saw, sax, scorper or scauper, screwdriver, screw tap, scriber, scutch or scutcher, scythe, shave, shears, sickle, slasher (Austral. & N.Z.), sledgehammer, snake, slick, soldering iron, spade, spanner, spider, spitsticker, spud or spudder, stiletto, stylus, swage, tack hammer, tilt hammer, triphammer, trepan, trowel, wimble, wrench

Translations

tool [tuːl]

A. N

1. (carpenter's, mechanic's etc) → herramienta f; (gardener's) → útil m, utensilio m
a set of tools → un juego de herramientas
the tools of his trade → las herramientas de su trabajo
give us the tools and we will finish the job (fig) → dadnos las herramientas y nosotros terminaremos la obra
see down ¹ D2

2. (fig) (= person, book etc) → instrumento m
he was a mere tool in their hands → fue instrumento en sus manos, nada más
the book is an essential tool → el libro es indispensable, el libro es instrumento imprescindible

B. VT [+ wood, metal] → labrar con herramienta; [+ book, leather] → estampar en seco

C. CPD tool bag N → estuche m de herramientas
tool box, tool chest N → caja f de herramientas
tool kit N → juego m de herramientas, estuche m de herramientas
tool room N → departamento m de herramientas
tool shed N → cobertizo m para herramientas

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tool [ˈtuːl]

n

(= piece of equipment) → outil m
garden tools → outils de jardinage
to down tools (British) → débrayer, cesser le travail
the tools of the trade (= skills and equipment) → les outils du métier

(= useful device) → outil m
a teaching tool → un outil pédagogique

(= person being used) → instrument m
to be the tool of sb → être un instrument entre les mains de qn

vt [+ leather, metal] → travailler

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tool

n

→ Werkzeug nt; (= gardening tool) → (Garten)gerät nt; (Comput) → Tool nt, → Hilfsmittel nt, → Dienstprogramm nt; tools → Werkzeuge pl; (= set) → Werkzeug nt; (in Windows®) → Extras pl; that’s one of the tools of the trade → das gehört zum Handwerkszeug; to have the tools for the job → das richtige or nötige Werkzeug haben

(fig: = person) → Werkzeug nt

(sl: = penis) → Ding nt (inf), → Apparat m (sl)

vt book, leather → punzen

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tool:

toolbag

n → Werkzeugtasche f

toolbar

n (Comput) → Symbolleiste f, → Funktionsleiste f; tool button → Symbolleistenschaltfläche f; tool icon → Bildsymbol nt → auf der Symbolleiste

toolbox

n → Werkzeugkasten m; (Comput) → Toolbox f

tool chest

n = toolbox

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tool:

toolkit

n → Werkzeug (→ ausrüstung f) nt

tool-maker

n → Werkzeugmacher(in) m(f)

tool-making

adj attr → Werkzeugbau-; tool firm → Werkzeughersteller m, → Werkzeugbaufirma f

tool shed

n → Geräteschuppen m

tooltip

n (Comput) → Quickinfo nt

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tool [tuːl]

1. n

a. (gen) (Tech) → attrezzo, utensile m, arnese m
(set of) tools → (set m inv di) attrezzi
the tools of one's trade → i ferri del mestiere

b. (fig) (person) → strumento
he was a mere tool in their hands → non era che uno strumento or un fantoccio nelle loro mani

2. vt → lavorare con un attrezzo

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tool [tuːl]

1. n

a. (gen) (Tech) → attrezzo, utensile m, arnese m
(set of) tools → (set m inv di) attrezzi
the tools of one's trade → i ferri del mestiere

b. (fig) (person) → strumento
he was a mere tool in their hands → non era che uno strumento or un fantoccio nelle loro mani

2. vt → lavorare con un attrezzo

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tool

n tool [tuːl]

an instrument for doing work, especially by hand hammers, saws and other tools; the tools of his trade; Advertising is a powerful tool. gereedskap أداه инструмент nástroj, nářadí værktøj; redskab das Werkzeug εργαλείο instrumento tööriist ابزار؛ آچار työkalu outil, instrument כְּלִי औजार alat, oruđe szerszám, eszköz alat verkfæri, áhald, tæki, tól attrezzo, strumento 道具 도구 įrankis instruments; darbarīks alat gereedschap redskap, verktøy narzędzie instrumento instrument, unealtă инструмент; орудие nástroj, náradie orodje alat verktyg, redskap, instrument เครื่องมือ âlet 工具 робочий інструмент; знаряддя праці آلہ، اوزار công cụ 工具

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tool → أداة nářadí værktøj Werkzeug εργαλείο herramienta työkalu outil alat strumento 道具 도구 gereedschap verktøy narzędzie ferramenta инструмент verktyg เครื่องมือ araç công cụ 工具