tool
tool — noun
1. A handheld object like a hammer, screwdriver, or saw that people use to build, f
A handheld object like a hammer, screwdriver, or saw that people use to build, fix, or reshape materials.
Owen picked up a heavy tool and began breaking the old concrete wall.
pick up + tool; tool + for physical work
The simplest tool in a carpenter's kit is a tape measure.
Stefan put his tools away after fixing the bathroom pipe.
possessive + tools + verb: put away
Bilal asked the shop assistant which tool works best for cutting metal sheets.
Liang sharpened the blade of his carving tool before starting the wooden figure.
- power tool
- hand tool
- garden tool
- kitchen tool
- tool box
- tool kit
- sharp tool
- heavy tool
- implement
more formal; often used for farming or specialized manual work
- instrument
suggests precision or scientific use rather than general handwork
- utensil
mainly for kitchen or eating items, not general hand tools
Grammar Patterns
a/an + tool
possessive + tool(s)
tool + for + noun/gerund
Usage Note
Countable noun. Frequently used with a possessive or a descriptive noun (gardening tool, kitchen tool).
Common Mistakes
2. Any method, system, or piece of software that helps you achieve a specific resul
Any method, system, or piece of software that helps you achieve a specific result or do a type of work more easily.
Valentina uses the dictionary as a tool for learning new languages.
tool + for + gerund
The internet is a powerful tool for finding information quickly.
Imran said that meditation is the best tool he has for managing stress.
noun phrase: best tool + for + managing + noun
Lien found that colour-coding her notes was a useful study tool for exams.
Sora considers budgeting apps an essential tool for saving money each month.
- powerful tool
- useful tool
- effective tool
- essential tool
- valuable tool
- research tool
- teaching tool
- marketing tool
Grammar Patterns
tool + for + noun/gerund
tool + to + infinitive
Usage Note
Subject is often abstract (the internet, language, data). Preposition 'for' introduces the purpose.
Common Mistakes
3. The specific equipment, instruments, or skills that a person needs to do their j
The specific equipment, instruments, or skills that a person needs to do their job properly.
A good camera and editing software are the basic tools of a photographer's trade.
set phrase: tools of the trade
Yael keeps all her sculpting tools in a leather roll for the studio.
Nala bought new ceramic tools before starting her pottery apprenticeship.
specific profession + tools
Élise explained that patience and steady hands are the key tools for a surgeon.
- tools of the trade
- professional tools
- specialist tools
- essential tools
- master's tools
Grammar Patterns
tools of the trade
Usage Note
The set phrase 'tools of the trade' can refer to both physical items and abstract skills. The singular form is rare in this sense.
Common Mistakes
❌ 'A hammer is a tool of the trade for construction workers.' (correct but too obvious) — This phrase is most natural when listing things that define a profession, especially non-obvious items.
4. A person whose actions are directed by someone else, often used to carry out dis
A person whose actions are directed by someone else, often used to carry out dishonest or unpleasant tasks on behalf of that person.
The politician used his assistant as a tool to spread false rumours about the opponent.
passive: used as a tool
Rania felt like a tool after doing all the dirty work without getting any credit.
The gang leader treated the younger members as disposable tools for his illegal business.
Christopher was just a tool for the corporation that made him take the blame.
set phrase: a tool in the hands of
- a tool of
- a mere tool
- used as a tool
- become a tool
- tool of the regime
- tool of the corporation
- mastermind
the person who does the controlling, not the one being controlled
Grammar Patterns
a tool + of + person/group
be + (just) + a tool
Usage Note
Always pejorative. The person being called a tool is seen as weak or foolish for letting themselves be controlled. Stronger than 'follower' or 'assistant'.
Common Mistakes
5. A coarse, vulgar word for the male sexual organ.
A coarse, vulgar word for the male sexual organ.
The crude comedian made too many jokes about his tool on stage last night.
vulgar slang register; third-person reference
Some immature teenagers giggle whenever anyone says the word tool in a biology class.
The locker room was full of young athletes shouting rude jokes about their tools.
In the rapper's lyrics he kept referring to his tool in a crudely boastful way.
- your tool
- his tool
- crude reference to tool
Grammar Patterns
the/one's + tool
Usage Note
Highly offensive in most contexts. Avoid in formal, academic, or polite conversation. The slang term 'dick' is more common; 'tool' sounds somewhat dated.
Common Mistakes
6. A rude word for someone you strongly dislike or think is very stupid.
A rude word for someone you strongly dislike or think is very stupid.
After he accidentally broke the window, the other kids called him a tool.
pattern: call + someone + a tool
Online commenters called the referee a tool for making that bad call.
Stop acting like a total tool and listen to what the teacher is saying.
The officer dismissed the complaint, deciding the man was just a tool seeking attention.
- total tool
- complete tool
- call someone a tool
- act like a tool
Grammar Patterns
be + a + tool
call + someone + a + tool
Usage Note
Mildly offensive but common in casual speech among young people. 'Tool' here implies the person is not only stupid but also annoying or socially awkward. Less harsh than 'idiot' but more dismissive than 'fool'.
Common Mistakes
down tools
idiomTo stop working, especially as a protest.
The factory workers downed tools and walked out at noon.
Will the bus drivers down tools if their demands are not met?
Not very intelligent or quick to understand things.
Maya is kind but not the sharpest tool in the box.
Do you think he's not the sharpest knife in the drawer?
tool — verb
1. To drive or ride in a vehicle, especially without a particular purpose or destin
To drive or ride in a vehicle, especially without a particular purpose or destination, just for pleasure.
On Saturday afternoons the teenagers love tooling around town in their old cars.
pattern: tooling around + [place]
Owen and his brother were tooling down the highway with the music turned up loud.
The group tooled along the coastal road, stopping whenever they saw a nice beach.
Christopher tooled his motorcycle into the parking lot and cut the engine.
transitive use: tool + vehicle + into + place
- tool around
- tool along
- tool down
- tool into
- tooling around
Grammar Patterns
tool + around
be + tooling + around + [place]
Usage Note
Almost always used with a directional adverb (around, down, along, into). The continuous form (tooling) is far more common than the simple past. British English speakers rarely use this sense.
Common Mistakes
2. To provide a manufacturing plant or workplace with the machines, devices, and ge
To provide a manufacturing plant or workplace with the machines, devices, and gear required for making products.
The company spent millions tooling the new plant with robotic assembly lines.
pattern: tool + [place] + with + [equipment]
The factory was tooled for mass production of electric vehicle batteries.
passive: was tooled for
Engineers are retooling the workshop so it can handle smaller custom orders.
Kabir's job involves tooling the assembly line whenever a new product model launches.
- tool a factory
- tool for production
- tool with machinery
- retool
- newly tooled
- strip
to remove equipment from a factory or workshop
Grammar Patterns
tool + [factory/industry] + with + [equipment]
be + tooled + with + [machinery]
Usage Note
Often in the passive voice ('the plant is tooled for…'). The prefixed form 'retool' is more common in business contexts, meaning to equip again or modernise.
Common Mistakes
3. To cut, shape, or decorate a material such as leather, metal, wood, or clay usin
To cut, shape, or decorate a material such as leather, metal, wood, or clay using a hand tool, often to produce a pattern or finished surface.
The artisan tooled a beautiful floral pattern into the leather belt by hand.
pattern: tool + [design] + into + [material]
Mizuki carefully tooled the silver bracelet with small bird shapes around the edge.
The old book cover was tooled in gold with the title and author's name.
passive: was tooled in gold
Tariro spent the afternoon tooling leather coasters to sell at the weekend market.
- tool leather
- tool metal
- tooled in gold
- hand-tooled
- tool a pattern
- tooled surface
Grammar Patterns
tool + [material] + into + [shape]
tool + [design] + onto + [surface]
Usage Note
Passive forms ('was tooled in gold', 'is tooled with patterns') appear more in descriptive texts about craftsmanship than in active speech. The past participle 'tooled' is used adjectivally: 'a tooled leather belt.'
Common Mistakes
Word family
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
All four words refer to objects used to perform a task, but they differ in typical usage and connotation. 'Tool' is the broadest everyday word for a handheld device used in making, repairing, or building things — a hammer, a screwdriver, a saw. 'Instrument' suggests precision, measurement, or scientific use: a surgeon's instrument, a musical instrument, a laboratory instrument — it carries a more refined, specialised tone. 'Implement' is more formal and often appears in agricultural or legal contexts ('farm implements', 'sharp implements'), and it rarely appears in everyday conversation about home repairs. 'Utensil' is almost entirely limited to food preparation and eating: kitchen utensils, cooking utensils. You would say 'I keep my gardening tools in the shed' but 'I keep my kitchen utensils in the drawer.' A chef uses utensils; a carpenter uses tools; a scientist uses instruments.
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'tool' comes from Old English 'tōl', which meant an instrument or implement used by a craftsman. It goes back to the Proto-Germanic root '*tōwalan', which is related to the verb 'taw' meaning to prepare or make. This ancient connection to making and preparing is still visible in the modern meaning — a tool is something you use to create, repair, or transform materials.