- an instrument such as a hammer, screwdriver, saw, etc. that you hold in your hand and use for making things, repairing things, etc.
- garden tools
- a cutting tool
- Always select the right tool for the job.
- craftsmen using traditional tools
- a set of tools
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- general-purpose
- multi-purpose
- basic
- …
- set
- use
- sharpen
- down tools
- …
- a thing that helps you to do your job or to achieve something
- research tools like questionnaires
- a marketing/management tool
- The internet can be a powerful teaching tool.
- a useful/valuable tool
- Some of them carried the guns which were the tools of their trade (= the things they needed to do their job).
- the effectiveness of interest rates as an economic tool
- An email newsletter can be a very effective communication tool.
- They need to use all the tools at their disposal.
Extra Examples- The internet has become a vital tool for many artists.
- This dictionary is a great reference tool for advanced learners.
- We must ensure that education is not used as a political tool.
- a valuable diagnostic tool for physicians
- Technology provides tools to enhance teaching.
- They are developing new software tools.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- new
- effective
- essential
- …
- become
- develop
- provide
- …
- the tools of the/somebody’s trade
- a person who is used or controlled by another person or group
- The prime minister was an unwitting tool of the president.
- (taboo, slang) a penis
Word OriginOld English tōl, from a Germanic base meaning ‘prepare’. The verb dates from the early 19th cent.
Idioms
See tool in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee tool in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishdown tools
- (British English) (of workers) to stop work; to go on strike
not the sharpest tool in the box | not the sharpest knife in the drawer
- (informal, humorous) not intelligent
- He's not exactly the sharpest tool in the box, is he?
Check pronunciation:
tool